It is a crazy situation, I agree on that! It seems that no matter what news outlet it is, protests are the main highlight. Even in our state, we're having protests in the big cities.
1) George Floyd had just robbed a store and was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Do you want to bet on if he had a long criminal record that the arresting cops may have been aware of which made them extra cautious with him?
It does seem that he wasn't a stranger to being in legal trouble. Even though the cops were trying to contain a possibly out of control/under the influence individual - there is difference between necessary force and excessive force.
2) The cop who had his knee on Floyd's neck had been shot in the past, while working as a cop. That naturally would make him more likely to over-react. Maybe the police department may need to invest more in identifying PTSD.
If this were the case, the police department generally has resources like counseling, time off of work, etc. for an officer to get things back in order so that they are able to safely return to work and carry out their duties. If an officer is found to be lacking, this can only go on so long until they are fired or necessary improvements are made. I wouldn't think PTSD is exactly an excuse for killing a man unless he could be deemed completely insane or unable to make appropriate judgements at that moment and even then, that puts his ability to be a police officer on the chopping block, but he has already been fired and is being charged with murder/manslaughter.
3) The Wikipedia entry "George Floyd's Death" suggests that kneeling cop was trained to use a knee on the neck.
It's possible that this could be part of police officer training for moments where it is absolutely necessary and the officer/public's life around them are at risk. Although, if such a tactic were taught, I would think it would be an absolute last resort for anything. If someone is already handcuffed...it does seem excessive.
4) We still don't have an official cause of death. The ambulance that was called for him had nothing to do with any harm from the cop kneeling on the neck. Even if the pressure on the neck is the cause of death, the cop may not have been aware of the dangers of non-chocking kneeling on the neck.
That's true that no autopsy results have been released if they are going to have those available. Although, there were many witnesses that were able to say what happened. Supposedly a first responder told him not to continue applying the force and the police officer didn't listen (I have heard this from others, but unsure of their source). How can a police officer not know the dangers of such a restraint? Surely most people know that enough pressure on the neck or manipulating the neck with force can cause damage or even death. Even if he "didn't know", it's not an excuse for killing someone.
5) I haven't seen any resisting of arrest in the videos released to the public. But, I also haven't seen a video of the initial arrest. I'll wait until I see body cam footage before I scream about the cops using excessive force.
I haven't watched the videos, but this is interesting as I have read the "resisting arrest" thing. Didn't know it didn't show up on footage.
There's zero, none, not a bit, evidence that this tragedy had anything to do with police racism. The lynch mob are the racists.
It is assumed because of his skin color, of course, but it is true - we don't know what the officer was thinking at the time.
7) Police kill trice as many unarmed whites and are more hesitant to shoot blacks. Keep in mind that blacks commit more robberies and murders than all other races combined.
Interesting, where are there statistics that support this? Kind of curious.
9) There's not yet enough evidence to take the kneeling cop to court, let alone convict him. A death doesn't prove a crime. We need to wait to see what evidence develops.
Really? They've are already in that process...
The former Minneapolis police officer seen kneeling on George Floyd’s neck before his death has now been charged with the man's murder, authorities announced Friday.
www.abc15.com
10) The most outrageous act by a cop doesn't justify the rioting, looting, and arson of the neighborhood. Nor is this death justify more coast to coast demonizing of white people that goes on in this country.
This is definitely true. Rioting, looting, and arson are not the answers...these are pretty scary adult temper tantrums. They would have better served their time trying to get the state to press charges, getting petition signatures, or whatever...but now they're committing crimes themselves. It's rather sad to see. It seems that there's something else at work besides protesting because of a man's death that shouldn't have happened...I'm not sure what their agenda exactly is. I mean, it could simply be chaos...I don't know.
For the record, I wouldn't want to be a police officer, either. Their jobs are difficult and in this time - there's a lot of police brutality type stuff that circulates around and then it's a mystery if it was like the news says it is or if the officer was justified. It's all a legal headache, but I am thankful that we have police officers out there willing to serve. However, I am sure there are some dirty cops out there in the mix, too, unfortunately.
I am thankful we don't live in the big city like we did a couple years ago. Otherwise, we'd be close to these crazy protests right now.