Did Floyd Break The Law?

On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, died in Minneapolis after being arrested on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill. Video evidence shows that Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, knelt on Floyd's neck for over nine minutes while he was handcuffed and lying face down, ignoring his pleas that he could not breathe. This incident sparked global protests against police brutality and racism, but was George Floyd breaking the law?

Was Floyd racially profiled?

The murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, sparked global protests against police brutality and racism. Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man, was killed by a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, who knelt on his neck and back for over nine minutes, asphyxiating him. This incident, which was captured on video, brought worldwide attention to the issue of racial profiling and police brutality in the United States.

While the charges against the officers involved in Floyd's killing did not include a hate crime, the public perception of the case was largely centred around race. Many people around the world viewed the killing of George Floyd as a racially motivated act of violence. Protests erupted across the United States and spread globally, with people demanding an end to police brutality, especially towards Black individuals.

A report by the state's Department of Human Rights, released two years after Floyd's death, found that the Minneapolis Police Department had engaged in a pattern of race discrimination. The report concluded that the department exhibited "significant racial disparities" in various areas, including the use of force, traffic stops, searches, citations, and arrests. Additionally, it was discovered that officers used covert social media to surveillance Black individuals and organizations unrelated to criminal activity. This report highlighted the systemic racism and discrimination prevalent within the Minneapolis Police Department.

Furthermore, the book "His Name Is George Floyd" by Washington Post reporters Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa provides insight into how Floyd's life was shaped by racism and systemic inequalities. The authors trace Floyd's ancestry and family history, revealing the intergenerational impact of racism and the persistent challenges faced by Black individuals in various systems such as healthcare, housing, education, and criminal justice.

In conclusion, while it is difficult to determine the exact motives of the officers involved in George Floyd's killing, the broader context of racial disparities in policing and the public perception of the case suggest that racial profiling may have played a role in the tragic incident. The global outrage and calls for justice that followed Floyd's death underscore the need to address systemic racism and discrimination within law enforcement and beyond.

Did the police use excessive force?

On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, died after being arrested by Minneapolis police officers on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill to buy cigarettes. Video evidence and eyewitness accounts show that Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, knelt on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes while he was handcuffed face down on the pavement. During this time, Floyd repeatedly stated that he could not breathe. Two other officers further restrained Floyd, and a fourth prevented onlookers from intervening.

The medical examiner found that Floyd's heart stopped while he was being restrained and ruled his death a homicide caused by "cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression". Fentanyl intoxication and recent methamphetamine use may have increased the likelihood of death. However, a second autopsy commissioned by Floyd's family ruled out the possibility that underlying medical problems contributed to his death.

The use of force by the police officers involved in Floyd's arrest has been widely condemned and sparked protests against police brutality, especially towards Black people, across the United States and globally. The officers' actions have been described as a series of actions that violate policies and turn fatal, compressing Floyd's chest and making it impossible for him to breathe. Chauvin's use of a "'carotid restraint'" has been particularly criticized as this type of control technique is typically outlawed, especially when the person is already handcuffed and poses no serious danger to the officers.

Chauvin was charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. The three other officers at the scene, Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng, and Tou Thao, were charged with aiding and abetting murder. All four officers were fired from the Minneapolis Police Department.

In conclusion, the evidence suggests that the police officers involved in George Floyd's arrest used excessive force, which ultimately led to his death. The subsequent outrage and calls for police reform highlight the need for widespread changes in police training, policies, and accountability measures to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.

Did the police violate policies?

On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man, was murdered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by Derek Chauvin, a white police officer. Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck and back for over nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and lying face down on a street. Two other police officers, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane, assisted Chauvin in restraining Floyd. A fourth police officer, Tou Thao, prevented bystanders from intervening.

According to medical and policing experts, the four police officers committed a series of actions that violated policies and turned fatal. They kept Floyd lying face down, applying pressure for at least five minutes, likely compressing his chest and making it impossible for him to breathe. Chauvin pushed his knee into Floyd's neck, a move banned by most police departments, including the Minneapolis Police Department, which states that an officer can only do this if someone is "actively resisting."

The officers also failed to provide aid to Floyd as he suffered a medical emergency, despite being trained and required to provide medical assistance. They did not attempt to render aid while waiting for the ambulance and ignored bystanders' pleas to lift his knee from Floyd's neck. Even after Floyd stopped speaking and lost consciousness, with no pulse found, Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd's neck for almost another minute.

The actions of the four officers resulted in Floyd's death, with preliminary autopsies conducted by the state and Floyd's family ruling the death as a homicide. The county medical examiner ruled the death as a homicide due to cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression.

All four officers faced federal civil rights charges, and in December 2021, Chauvin pleaded guilty to federal charges of violating Floyd's civil rights by using unreasonable force and ignoring his serious medical distress. The other three officers were also later convicted of violating Floyd's civil rights.

Was the use of a knee-to-neck restraint justified?

The use of a knee-to-neck restraint on George Floyd was not justified, according to several experts and law enforcement officials.

At the time of Floyd's arrest, the Minneapolis Police Department's policy permitted the use of neck restraints using an arm or the side of a leg when a suspect was being "assaultive". However, this did not include the use of a knee, as Derek Chauvin did for over nine minutes on Floyd, an unarmed, handcuffed, 46-year-old African-American man.

Lt. Johnny Mercil, a Minneapolis police trainer who instructed Chauvin in the use of force, testified at Chauvin's murder trial that placing a knee on a suspect's neck when they are already handcuffed and subdued "is not authorised". He clarified that while putting a knee to the neck is "not unauthorised" when making an arrest, it is not permitted if the suspect is restrained, as Floyd was.

Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo also testified that Chauvin's use of force "in no way, shape or form is anything that is by policy". He stated that there was no justification for the continued pressure on Floyd's neck after he stopped resisting and was restrained.

According to Seth Stoughton, an associate professor of law and co-author of "Evaluating Police Uses of Force", the knee-to-neck restraint is dangerous and unnecessary. He identified three ways in which officers can cause potential injury using this method: keeping suspects in the prone position, which can lead to positional asphyxia; applying significant pressure and weight on the neck, which can cause fatal damage; and failing to monitor the suspect's well-being, as kneeling on their neck for an extended period can be fatal.

Stoughton further emphasised that the restraint used on Floyd did not fit the categories of permissible neck restraints outlined in the Minneapolis Police Department's Policy & Procedure Manual. He described the restraint as "really dangerous", noting that it was not just about putting pressure on the neck but also involved other factors such as the prone position and the duration of the restraint.

In conclusion, the use of a knee-to-neck restraint on George Floyd was not justified based on the policies of the Minneapolis Police Department and the expert opinions of law enforcement trainers and legal scholars. The restraint violated established guidelines, posed a significant risk of injury, and ultimately led to Floyd's death.

Did the police provide timely medical assistance?

The police officers involved in the death of George Floyd did not provide timely medical assistance. Despite calls for medical help, Derek Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd's neck for almost eight minutes, even as he lost consciousness and became unresponsive. The other officers, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao, also failed to intervene or provide any first aid. According to medical and policing experts, the officers committed a series of actions that violated policies and turned fatal.

The officers initially called for non-emergency medical assistance, reporting an injury to Floyd's mouth. However, as the situation escalated, the call was quickly upgraded to a Code 3, a call for emergency medical assistance. Despite this, Chauvin continued to pin Floyd down for another seven minutes. During this time, Floyd repeatedly stated that he could not breathe and appeared to lose consciousness.

When the ambulance arrived, the paramedics found no pulse and quickly concluded that Floyd was dead. They then loaded him into the ambulance and left the scene due to the forming crowd. However, they called for additional medical help from the fire department as Floyd was going into cardiac arrest. The fire department EMTs faced delays in reaching Floyd due to the officers' failure to provide clear information about his whereabouts, which hindered their ability to provide timely medical assistance.

The paramedics and EMTs did their best to resuscitate Floyd, but their efforts were ultimately unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead at the hospital. The tragic incident sparked outrage and protests across the United States and worldwide, highlighting the urgent need for police reform and accountability.

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