MN - George Floyd, 46, died in police custody, Minneapolis, 25 May 2020 *officers charged* #3

[Weki]

Can’t wait for Monday! Hopefully there are no juror issues. I’m really curious to see how the State handles this prosecution! I expect assistant AG Frank will be doing the opening statement. I’m looking forward to seeing how he performs. And then the spark of life testimony will be first I suspect.

 

[jennieohhh]

Im curious how they are going to portray GF. I am guessing they are going to take the same angle msm wanted ppl to see which was GF was a gentle giant & was turning his life around. I wonder if his recent convictions will come up (sent to jail for robbing a pregnant woman at gunpoint, pointed the gun at her belly). Imo, i think Nelson will focus that type of restraint used was not against protocol & there were other factors that led to his death. Did others also notice the shifting of DC's weight of his knee? It almost looks like at times he is shifting his weight off of GF's body.
"You've got to look at the whole picture," Nelson said. "It's one thing to die *with* something. It's another thing to die *from* something."

 

[Lilibet]

In my corner of the world, a first responder was present at an overdose death.

Thank you for sharing your perspective @Laughing. I expect that the defense will assert that this was an overdose death and I will be interested in the medical evidence they present. It may well be that Mr Floyd would have died of a fentanyl overdose at some point that day or hour. However, from my perspective, kneeling on Mr Floyd’s neck for 8-9 minutes would have hastened his death and was not what I would think was police protocol under the circumstances as I understand them. If someone is terminally ill and a nurse deliberately hurries along the inevitable by smothering a difficult patient with a pillow, that is criminal. But the jury will decide and it matters little whether I agree or not.

 

[MsBetsy]

I agree that all hell is going to break loose in the days to come.
I also think that the rioting and terrorism has to stop.
IMO, once the Mpls PD abandoned that police station, that gave everyone that is/was rioting the green light to take over whatever they want. And it's working.
Let me ask you this....
You posted that George Floyd Square is now off limits to whites. There's robberies, shootings, sex crimes and gangs hanging out, followed by you learned with the Capitol attack that White Supremacist sorts are really really dangerous. I'm curious... How did you arrive at that conclusion? How many were robbed, shot at, or victims of sex crimes at the Capitol? I didn't hear of any, except for the cop that shot the unarmed woman Air Force vet.
I am in no way trying to divide. I'm just wondering where your information came from.

I read that a 70 something year old white man was one of the volunteers looking after the site, so I don't know how it can be true that white people are banned from the area. Imo

 

[Cool Cats]

I read that a 70 something year old white man was one of the volunteers looking after the site, so I don't know how it can be true that white people are banned from the area. Imo

6 block area earlier in the month due to activists. Should be fine now last I looked.

 

[Cool Cats]

Can we say on here if we think he's guilty or not? And why we think this...?

Thanks Sleuthers

 

[MsBetsy]

Can we say on here if we think he's guilty or not? And why we think this...?

Thanks Sleuthers

Yes, we can.

 

[dixiegirl1035]

Can we say on here if we think he's guilty or not? And why we think this...?

Thanks Sleuthers

It's exactly what we do, is discuss. Other folks "MOOs" are always good. We are at WS. We're not the jury, and this isn't a courtroom (Quote stolen from another WSer )

 

[Cool Cats]

It's exactly what we do, is discuss. Other folks "MOOs" are always good. We are at WS. We're not the jury, and this isn't a courtroom (Quote stolen from another WSer )

It's not? ... tee-hee ... ...

Yes, we can.

Thanks! We are not a courtroom!

 

[Lilibet]

Can we say on here if we think he's guilty or not? And why we think this...?

Thanks Sleuthers

Sure. Go for it @Cool Cats!

 

[Cool Cats]

Thank you for sharing your perspective @Laughing. I expect that the defense will assert that this was an overdose death and I will be interested in the medical evidence they present. It may well be that Mr Floyd would have died of a fentanyl overdose at some point that day or hour. However, from my perspective, kneeling on Mr Floyd’s neck for 8-9 minutes would have hastened his death and was not what I would think was police protocol under the circumstances as I understand them. If someone is terminally ill and a nurse deliberately hurries along the inevitable by smothering a difficult patient with a pillow, that is criminal. But the jury will decide and it matters little whether I agree or not.

I believe you are totally right!

What are the odds he just happens to die of a drug overdose at the exact same time a knee is on his neck for 8-9 minutes.

1 in a million .. ?

1 in half a million .. ?

The best the defense can do is prove it was both...

Drugs in his system made him die but only after his air was cut off ...

 

[Cool Cats]

Sure. Go for it @Cool Cats!

OK! ...

 

[dixiegirl1035]

WS PSA

In preparation for live streaming daily for 4 weeks or more for this trial, I just went to check if I could computer/phone wifi live stream on my plan with Comcast and not get charged (been there, done that... where I was shocked at my overage bill during a trial years ago and learned a very expensive lesson!)

Anyhoo, just a shout out to other to check theirs if in doubt, especially if in a remote area where restrictions may differ or plans with different companies may exist.

I have Comcast, and they give me 1.2 TERABYTES with my plan per month. And it is one of the CHEAPEST plans.

WOW! What a difference a few years makes. Helps that many platforms of MSM are beginning to have livestream for tv, e.g. Peacock stream so that providers are upping their allowances.

I won't meet that streaming the trial every day. Whew.

But for others, please check so you don't get hit with a bill that I did years ago. Some YouTube channels that stream allow to have low resolution... perhaps that would help if some folks are limited? Dunno... just thought I would throw this to the thread as a shout out for others.

HTH!!!!

Another prep to check off... I still cannot find a media "no discussion" thread for this case. Is there one? Can someone be so kind as to bump in preparation for Monday please? TIA

 

[Lilibet]

Duke University: A printout of George Floyd's toxicology report was found on a Black history display, insinuating that he deserved to die - CNN

A flier insinuating that George Floyd's death was because of drugs appeared on a Black History Month display at Duke University, causing a school-wide investigation into what officials are calling an "act of bias."

The flier, an apparent printout of George Floyd's toxicology report, appeared Saturday, Duke University confirmed, on a Black History Month display honoring Black victims of police violence. The report included handwritten remarks in a pink pen, reading: "Mix of drugs presents in difficulty breathing! Overdose? Good Man? Use of fake currency is a felony!"

 

[dixiegirl1035]

Another prep to check off... I still cannot find a media "no discussion" thread for this case. Is there one? Can someone be so kind as to bump in preparation for Monday please? TIA

I went ahead and created a Trial **Media & Timeline - NO DISCUSSION Thread at MN - George Floyd, 46, Minneapolis, 25 May 2020 **Media & Timeline - NO DISCUSSION in preparation for Monday.

For those that want to bookmark, FYI and for mods to put in post #1 on the upcoming shiny new thread following this one.

 

[mickey2942]

How Are Jurors In The Derek Chauvin Trial Being Kept Safe?

This article focuses on Covid protocols in the court. No vaccine "line jumping" for jurors. Dang.

 

[Lilibet]

Although this is an opinion piece by a CNN legal analyst, it explains the issues surrounding this trial fairly IMO.

Opinion: One of the most important trials America has ever seen is about to start - CNN

While there is no way to predict how the Chauvin jury ultimately will decide, to this point the pretrial criminal justice process has held up well. Judge Peter Cahill and the parties have done their jobs, setting the stage for the jurors to do theirs.

 

[sds71]

Convicting a police officer of killing someone is notoriously difficult, in part because juries hesitate to second-guess the defendant when the officer claims to have made a split-second decision in a life-or-death situation. But that's probably not an argument Derek Chauvin can make...
If I'm a prosecutor, I'm holding my stopwatch up for 8 minutes and 47 seconds and showing the jury how long that is," said Geoffrey Alpert, a criminology professor at the University of South Carolina who co-wrote "Evaluating Police Uses of Force."
Alpert, the criminology professor, said that beyond the initial moments of the confrontation between Chauvin and Floyd, there was little of the chaos that can affect sound decision-making.
"There may have been a split-second decision on what to do when Mr. Floyd would not get into the car and how do you handle it," he said. "But each second after that, there was no need for a split-second decision...

Chauvin's attorney, Eric Nelson, has argued in court documents that Floyd probably died from fentanyl he consumed, or a combination of fentanyl, methamphetamine and underlying health conditions - not as a result of Chauvin's knee on his neck.
Nelson will be allowed to present some evidence from a 2019 arrest in which Floyd, as he did in 2020, swallowed pills as he was confronted by officers.
Some police officers have been found guilty in cases where prosecutors were able to show that a reasonable person would not have reacted in the same way.

ABC News will offer gavel-to-gavel coverage of the Derek Chauvin trial beginning Monday, March 29, on this ABC station or wherever you stream: Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, or Android TV.
Derek Chauvin trial: Snap-decision defense may not work for ex-officer in George Floyd death - ABC7 New York (abc7ny.com)

 

[mickey2942]

I still think that if prior bad acts by the victim are allowed in, Officer Chauvin had reasonable belief that GF was a risk to the safety of other officers and people in the community. He was making sure that GF would not injure anyone. And the time is not that long when you consider the mindset of Officer Chauvin.

I am not defending Officer Chauvin, simply presenting a reasonable defense.

 

[SouthAussie]

I still think that if prior bad acts by the victim are allowed in, Officer Chauvin had reasonable belief that GF was a risk to the safety of other officers and people in the community. He was making sure that GF would not injure anyone. And the time is not that long when you consider the mindset of Officer Chauvin.

I am not defending Officer Chauvin, simply presenting a reasonable defense.

They are going to be hard pressed to get away from the fact that Chauvin did not put George on his side. Even when reminded twice by Lane.

Placing the person on their side is the next step in their kneel-on-the-neck protocol. I remember from way back when this first started and we looked up the training/procedures.

They could have kept him down .... on his side ... if injury to themselves/others was a concern.

There was no decision required. Next step, place perp on their side. Follow the procedures you learned in training.