Where's the Thread on "George Floyd" ????
- Thread starter Ron in Regina
- Start date
I'm a pretty decent defense attorney.
When I'm acting as a defense attorney.
Which means when I'm getting paid to defend someone.
But always fun to read you pretending you know shit about lawyering.
Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged with murdering George Floyd, has been released from a correctional facility after posting a $1 million bond, according to court records. http://globalnews.ca/news/7383927/george-floyd-derek-chauvin-released/
Chauvin is charged with second- and third-degree murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s May 25 death in Minneapolis by kneeling on his neck for nearly nine minutes. Videos of the incident set off nationwide protests over police brutality and racism.
Chauvin’s unconditional bail had been set at $1.25 million, or $1 million with conditions.
He was released on conditions, according to a document filed to the Hennepin County District Court from the county’s sheriff. Court records show Chauvin posted a non-cash bond guaranteed by the Allegheny Casualty Company.
Conditions that had been set at his bond hearing included prohibitions against working in law enforcement and contact with Floyd’s family. Chauvin is also required to surrender any licenses or permits for firearms.
Dude is out on bail for second- and third-degree murder and manslaughter, and one of his bail conditions is that he's prohibited against working in law enforcement? Really? This has to be mentioned? There's not vetting process for law enforcement so that this has to be mentioned? There are very stringent rules in the USA to hire someone as a commercial driver to deliver strawberries or rutabagas but not for law enforcement?
Chauvin is charged with second- and third-degree murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s May 25 death in Minneapolis by kneeling on his neck for nearly nine minutes. Videos of the incident set off nationwide protests over police brutality and racism.
Chauvin’s unconditional bail had been set at $1.25 million, or $1 million with conditions.
He was released on conditions, according to a document filed to the Hennepin County District Court from the county’s sheriff. Court records show Chauvin posted a non-cash bond guaranteed by the Allegheny Casualty Company.
Conditions that had been set at his bond hearing included prohibitions against working in law enforcement and contact with Floyd’s family. Chauvin is also required to surrender any licenses or permits for firearms.
Dude is out on bail for second- and third-degree murder and manslaughter, and one of his bail conditions is that he's prohibited against working in law enforcement? Really? This has to be mentioned? There's not vetting process for law enforcement so that this has to be mentioned? There are very stringent rules in the USA to hire someone as a commercial driver to deliver strawberries or rutabagas but not for law enforcement?
Protest Turns Violent After Cops Shoot Man Armed with Knife in Philadelphia
https://www.breitbart.com/law-and-o...s-shoot-man-armed-with-knife-in-philadelphia/
Dems rehearsing for November 3.
https://www.breitbart.com/law-and-o...s-shoot-man-armed-with-knife-in-philadelphia/
Dems rehearsing for November 3.
HUNTER: Defunding cops leads to 90% homicide spike in Minneapolis
We will never know whether slashing the police budget played a role in the shooting that sent 22-year-old Shakur Freed Muhammed to the morgue.
LILLEY: When cancel culture comes for the cupcakes
I didn’t know that being a vegan cupcake baker wouldn’t qualify as woke enough but then again, I’m guessing my woke culture decoder ring is busted.
U.S. House passes 'George Floyd' police reform bill
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Makini Brice and Richard Cowan
Publishing date:Mar 04, 2021 • 11 hours ago • 2 minute read • comment bubbleJoin the conversation
A protester holds a placard bearing the images of George Floyd, Malcom X and Martin Luther King on June 8, 2020, in Ankara, during a demonstration against racism and police brutality, and in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, in the wake of the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man killed while apprehended by police in Minneapolis, US.
A protester holds a placard bearing the images of George Floyd, Malcom X and Martin Luther King on June 8, 2020, in Ankara, during a demonstration against racism and police brutality, and in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, in the wake of the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man killed while apprehended by police in Minneapolis, US. PHOTO BY ADEM ALTAN /AFP via Getty Images
Article content
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday banning controversial police tactics and easing the way for lawsuits against officers violating suspects’ constitutional rights, although the measure’s Senate prospects were uncertain.
Democrats pushed the “George Floyd Justice in Policing Act” through the House by a vote of 220-212, with the support of only one Republican, just days before former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin goes on trial on a state murder charge in the death of Floyd last year.
Floyd, 46, an African-American man, died when he was detained with Chauvin kneeling on his neck for nearly eight minutes. His killing sparked weeks of nationwide and global protests, many of which were led by Black Lives Matter activists.
“How many more people have to die, how many more people have to be brutalized on videotape” before police reforms become law, asked Democratic Representative Karen Bass, who wrote the legislation with House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler.
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
She said the bill would hold police “accountable” when constitutional rights are violated but would also support local law enforcement by fostering improvements in community policing, especially for minority neighborhoods.
One of its most controversial provisions would change “qualified immunity” for police, further opening the door for lawsuits over the use of excessive force.
Reuters in May 2020 published an investigation revealing how qualified immunity, with the Supreme Court’s continual refinements, had made it easier for police officers to kill or injure civilians with impunity.
Conservative Republicans have attacked the Democratic bill, saying it would put law enforcement lives in danger and make communities less safe.
The police reform effort sputtered in Congress last summer after the House passed the so-called George Floyd bill and Democrats blocked a Senate Republican bill. While it also addressed issues such as police choke holds, no-knock warrants and use of police body cameras, Democrats complained it relied on incentives rather than mandating changes.
Senator Tim Scott, the author of the Republican bill, told Reuters in a statement he welcomed conversations with Democrats over qualified immunity.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Makini Brice and Richard Cowan
Publishing date:Mar 04, 2021 • 11 hours ago • 2 minute read • comment bubbleJoin the conversation
A protester holds a placard bearing the images of George Floyd, Malcom X and Martin Luther King on June 8, 2020, in Ankara, during a demonstration against racism and police brutality, and in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, in the wake of the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man killed while apprehended by police in Minneapolis, US.
A protester holds a placard bearing the images of George Floyd, Malcom X and Martin Luther King on June 8, 2020, in Ankara, during a demonstration against racism and police brutality, and in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, in the wake of the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man killed while apprehended by police in Minneapolis, US. PHOTO BY ADEM ALTAN /AFP via Getty Images
Article content
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday banning controversial police tactics and easing the way for lawsuits against officers violating suspects’ constitutional rights, although the measure’s Senate prospects were uncertain.
Democrats pushed the “George Floyd Justice in Policing Act” through the House by a vote of 220-212, with the support of only one Republican, just days before former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin goes on trial on a state murder charge in the death of Floyd last year.
Floyd, 46, an African-American man, died when he was detained with Chauvin kneeling on his neck for nearly eight minutes. His killing sparked weeks of nationwide and global protests, many of which were led by Black Lives Matter activists.
“How many more people have to die, how many more people have to be brutalized on videotape” before police reforms become law, asked Democratic Representative Karen Bass, who wrote the legislation with House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler.
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
She said the bill would hold police “accountable” when constitutional rights are violated but would also support local law enforcement by fostering improvements in community policing, especially for minority neighborhoods.
One of its most controversial provisions would change “qualified immunity” for police, further opening the door for lawsuits over the use of excessive force.
Reuters in May 2020 published an investigation revealing how qualified immunity, with the Supreme Court’s continual refinements, had made it easier for police officers to kill or injure civilians with impunity.
Conservative Republicans have attacked the Democratic bill, saying it would put law enforcement lives in danger and make communities less safe.
The police reform effort sputtered in Congress last summer after the House passed the so-called George Floyd bill and Democrats blocked a Senate Republican bill. While it also addressed issues such as police choke holds, no-knock warrants and use of police body cameras, Democrats complained it relied on incentives rather than mandating changes.
Senator Tim Scott, the author of the Republican bill, told Reuters in a statement he welcomed conversations with Democrats over qualified immunity.
U.S. House passes 'George Floyd' police reform bill
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday banning controversial police tactics and easing the way for lawsuits against officers…
U.S. House passes 'George Floyd' police reform bill
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Makini Brice and Richard Cowan
Publishing date:Mar 04, 2021 • 11 hours ago • 2 minute read • comment bubbleJoin the conversation
A protester holds a placard bearing the images of George Floyd, Malcom X and Martin Luther King on June 8, 2020, in Ankara, during a demonstration against racism and police brutality, and in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, in the wake of the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man killed while apprehended by police in Minneapolis, US.
A protester holds a placard bearing the images of George Floyd, Malcom X and Martin Luther King on June 8, 2020, in Ankara, during a demonstration against racism and police brutality, and in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, in the wake of the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man killed while apprehended by police in Minneapolis, US. PHOTO BY ADEM ALTAN /AFP via Getty Images
Article content
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday banning controversial police tactics and easing the way for lawsuits against officers violating suspects’ constitutional rights, although the measure’s Senate prospects were uncertain.
Democrats pushed the “George Floyd Justice in Policing Act” through the House by a vote of 220-212, with the support of only one Republican, just days before former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin goes on trial on a state murder charge in the death of Floyd last year.
Floyd, 46, an African-American man, died when he was detained with Chauvin kneeling on his neck for nearly eight minutes. His killing sparked weeks of nationwide and global protests, many of which were led by Black Lives Matter activists.
“How many more people have to die, how many more people have to be brutalized on videotape” before police reforms become law, asked Democratic Representative Karen Bass, who wrote the legislation with House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler.
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
She said the bill would hold police “accountable” when constitutional rights are violated but would also support local law enforcement by fostering improvements in community policing, especially for minority neighborhoods.
One of its most controversial provisions would change “qualified immunity” for police, further opening the door for lawsuits over the use of excessive force.
Reuters in May 2020 published an investigation revealing how qualified immunity, with the Supreme Court’s continual refinements, had made it easier for police officers to kill or injure civilians with impunity.
Conservative Republicans have attacked the Democratic bill, saying it would put law enforcement lives in danger and make communities less safe.
The police reform effort sputtered in Congress last summer after the House passed the so-called George Floyd bill and Democrats blocked a Senate Republican bill. While it also addressed issues such as police choke holds, no-knock warrants and use of police body cameras, Democrats complained it relied on incentives rather than mandating changes.
Senator Tim Scott, the author of the Republican bill, told Reuters in a statement he welcomed conversations with Democrats over qualified immunity.
U.S. House passes 'George Floyd' police reform bill
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday banning controversial police tactics and easing the way for lawsuits against officers…
I guess that every white cop out there is now going to have to watch what he says or does to a black person. If it appears to be a bit racist in any way the cop could get sued or maybe even fired. I guess that we could expect more white people getting beat up or shot more often from now on. After all, white lives do not matter anymore. Only black lives matter or so we have been told and shown. Sounds a bit like reverse racism to me. Aw well.
Ex-cop's trial in George Floyd death delayed over possible addition of charge
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Publishing date:Mar 08, 2021 • 4 hours ago • 3 minute read • comment bubble14 Comments
In this file still image taken on May 25, 2020, from a video courtesy of Darnella Frazier via Facebook, shows Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin during the arrest of George Floyd.
In this file still image taken on May 25, 2020, from a video courtesy of Darnella Frazier via Facebook, shows Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin during the arrest of George Floyd. PHOTO BY DARNELLA FRAZIER/FACEBOOK /AFP via Getty Images
Article content
MINNEAPOLIS — The trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the death of George Floyd was delayed until at least Tuesday morning as the judge contended with a last-minute order by a higher court to reconsider adding an additional murder charge.
The trial had been scheduled to begin on Monday with the screening of jurors to weigh murder and manslaughter charges in a case seen as a referendum on police violence against Black Americans. Chauvin appeared in court dressed in a navy blue suit and tie, a white shirt and a black face mask, jotting notes in a yellow legal pad on the table before him.
Judge Peter Cahill of the Hennepin County district court set aside three weeks for jury selection alone, mindful of the difficulties finding impartial Minneapolitans in a case that has convulsed a nation and in which an image of the victim — a selfie of Floyd faintly smiling — has become an international icon of racial justice.
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
But that was delayed at the urging of prosecutors after the Minnesota Court of Appeals told Cahill in an order issued on Friday he must reconsider prosecutors’ request to also reinstate a third charge, third-degree murder, over the defendant’s objections.
Eric Nelson, Chauvin’s lead lawyer, told the court on Monday morning that Chauvin would soon ask the Minnesota Supreme Court to overturn Friday’s order, a process that could take weeks, although he saw no reason for that to delay jury selection.
But prosecutors from the Minnesota attorney general’s office urged the court to delay jury selection until the appeal was resolved.
“We’re not doing this to interfere, to slow this down, but it is a very important matter,” Matthew Frank, an assistant attorney general, told the court. Prosecutors feared picking a jury when the number of charges was still unresolved could make it easier for Chauvin to appeal a verdict later, Frank said.
Cahill declined, repeatedly saying he believed he was entitled to at least begin seating jurors unless a higher court ordered him not to. Prosecutors then said they would ask the Appeals Court to intervene to delay the trial. Cahill suspended jury selection until at least Tuesday.
Chauvin, 44, is charged with second-degree murder, which carries a sentence of up to 40 years in prison, and manslaughter.
He was released from jail on a $1 million bond last October and will be tried in a courtroom in the Hennepin County Government Center, a tower in downtown Minneapolis now ringed with fencing and concrete barricades for fear of disruption by protesters.
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Hundreds of anti-racism protesters chanted in the streets around the courthouse, blocking traffic. They scattered flowers on the tarmac, along with mirrors smeared with fake blood and daubed with slogans asking passers-by to “reflect” on Floyd’s death. A few volunteers set up tables, handing out donated coffee and donuts. A small number of soldiers called in from the Minnesota National Guard watched from a distance.
The courtroom has been adapted to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus, and Cahill has sharply limited attendance inside: the families of Chauvin and Floyd have each been allocated a single seat inside the courtroom.
Bridgett Floyd, George Floyd’s sister and founder of the George Floyd Memorial Foundation, went inside for the first day. No one took the seat reserved for Chauvin’s family, according to a pool reporter inside the courtroom.
Most reporters attending must watch a video stream in a building across the street.
Lawyers for Chauvin, who was fired from the police force the day after Floyd’s death, have argued that he correctly followed his training in helping colleagues arrest Floyd on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill at the Cup Foods grocery store. A handcuffed Floyd can be seen in videos struggling against being placed in a police vehicle complaining he has claustrophobia.
The medical examiner ruled that Floyd’s death was a homicide caused partly by police restraint holds. But the autopsy report also noted that Floyd had recently ingested the opioid fentanyl, and Chauvin’s lawyers contend that an overdose was the main cause of death.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Publishing date:Mar 08, 2021 • 4 hours ago • 3 minute read • comment bubble14 Comments
In this file still image taken on May 25, 2020, from a video courtesy of Darnella Frazier via Facebook, shows Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin during the arrest of George Floyd.
In this file still image taken on May 25, 2020, from a video courtesy of Darnella Frazier via Facebook, shows Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin during the arrest of George Floyd. PHOTO BY DARNELLA FRAZIER/FACEBOOK /AFP via Getty Images
Article content
MINNEAPOLIS — The trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the death of George Floyd was delayed until at least Tuesday morning as the judge contended with a last-minute order by a higher court to reconsider adding an additional murder charge.
The trial had been scheduled to begin on Monday with the screening of jurors to weigh murder and manslaughter charges in a case seen as a referendum on police violence against Black Americans. Chauvin appeared in court dressed in a navy blue suit and tie, a white shirt and a black face mask, jotting notes in a yellow legal pad on the table before him.
Judge Peter Cahill of the Hennepin County district court set aside three weeks for jury selection alone, mindful of the difficulties finding impartial Minneapolitans in a case that has convulsed a nation and in which an image of the victim — a selfie of Floyd faintly smiling — has become an international icon of racial justice.
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
But that was delayed at the urging of prosecutors after the Minnesota Court of Appeals told Cahill in an order issued on Friday he must reconsider prosecutors’ request to also reinstate a third charge, third-degree murder, over the defendant’s objections.
Eric Nelson, Chauvin’s lead lawyer, told the court on Monday morning that Chauvin would soon ask the Minnesota Supreme Court to overturn Friday’s order, a process that could take weeks, although he saw no reason for that to delay jury selection.
But prosecutors from the Minnesota attorney general’s office urged the court to delay jury selection until the appeal was resolved.
“We’re not doing this to interfere, to slow this down, but it is a very important matter,” Matthew Frank, an assistant attorney general, told the court. Prosecutors feared picking a jury when the number of charges was still unresolved could make it easier for Chauvin to appeal a verdict later, Frank said.
Cahill declined, repeatedly saying he believed he was entitled to at least begin seating jurors unless a higher court ordered him not to. Prosecutors then said they would ask the Appeals Court to intervene to delay the trial. Cahill suspended jury selection until at least Tuesday.
Chauvin, 44, is charged with second-degree murder, which carries a sentence of up to 40 years in prison, and manslaughter.
He was released from jail on a $1 million bond last October and will be tried in a courtroom in the Hennepin County Government Center, a tower in downtown Minneapolis now ringed with fencing and concrete barricades for fear of disruption by protesters.
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Hundreds of anti-racism protesters chanted in the streets around the courthouse, blocking traffic. They scattered flowers on the tarmac, along with mirrors smeared with fake blood and daubed with slogans asking passers-by to “reflect” on Floyd’s death. A few volunteers set up tables, handing out donated coffee and donuts. A small number of soldiers called in from the Minnesota National Guard watched from a distance.
The courtroom has been adapted to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus, and Cahill has sharply limited attendance inside: the families of Chauvin and Floyd have each been allocated a single seat inside the courtroom.
Bridgett Floyd, George Floyd’s sister and founder of the George Floyd Memorial Foundation, went inside for the first day. No one took the seat reserved for Chauvin’s family, according to a pool reporter inside the courtroom.
Most reporters attending must watch a video stream in a building across the street.
Lawyers for Chauvin, who was fired from the police force the day after Floyd’s death, have argued that he correctly followed his training in helping colleagues arrest Floyd on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill at the Cup Foods grocery store. A handcuffed Floyd can be seen in videos struggling against being placed in a police vehicle complaining he has claustrophobia.
The medical examiner ruled that Floyd’s death was a homicide caused partly by police restraint holds. But the autopsy report also noted that Floyd had recently ingested the opioid fentanyl, and Chauvin’s lawyers contend that an overdose was the main cause of death.
Ex-cop's trial in George Floyd death delayed over possible addition of charge
MINNEAPOLIS — The trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the death of George Floyd was delayed until at least Tuesday morning as the…
Court picks first three jurors for trial in George Floyd's death, many saw video of arrest
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Jonathan Allen
Publishing date:Mar 09, 2021 • 23 hours ago • 3 minute read • comment bubble6 Comments
General view of the Say Their Names memorial site by George Floyd Square, which is closed today to allow members of the community to mourn the killing of a man last Saturday, on the first day of jury selection in the trial of Derek Chauvin, former Minneapolis police officer accused of killing George Floyd, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., March 9, 2021.
General view of the Say Their Names memorial site by George Floyd Square, which is closed today to allow members of the community to mourn the killing of a man last Saturday, on the first day of jury selection in the trial of Derek Chauvin, former Minneapolis police officer accused of killing George Floyd, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., March 9, 2021. PHOTO BY NICHOLAS PFOSI /REUTERS
Article content
MINNEAPOLIS — The potential jurors entered a Minneapolis courtroom one by one on Tuesday and although they had never met Derek Chauvin in person, they said they knew exactly who he was: the police officer who kept his knee on George Floyd’s neck during a deadly arrest last year that caused a worldwide outcry.
Nearly all told the court they had seen the video of the May 25 arrest recorded on a bystander’s phone showing Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, begging for his life, which spread inescapably across the internet and other media.
Many conceded they had already formed a negative opinion of Chauvin, who was dismissed from the police force.
“That’s the only thing I’ve ever seen of this person: that video,” Juror No. 9, a woman who appeared to be mixed race in her 20s or 30s, told the court, trying to describe her views on Chauvin, who is white. “It just makes you sad. Nobody wants to see someone die, whether it’s his fault or not.”
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Still, she was “super excited” to receive the jury summons, a feeling that only grew after she realized that it would be for one of the most high-stakes cases seen in the United States in years.
After assuring Judge Peter Cahill of Hennepin County district court that she would be fair and impartial she became the second of three jurors seated on the first day of jury selection.
“Awesome!” she replied to the judge.
Chauvin, released from jail last October on a $1 million bond, stood politely when he was introduced to potential jurors by his lawyer. Dressed in a gray suit, dark tie and black face mask, Chauvin filled pages of a yellow legal pad with notes.
His trial is seen as a landmark case on police violence against Black people in the United States. Many of the issues that prompted the judge to set aside three weeks for selecting 12 jurors and four alternates alone quickly came to the fore on Tuesday.
There was a commonplace belief that parts of the American criminal justice system are racist, as seen in the nervous 19-year-old man who said when questioned by Chauvin’s lawyer Eric Nelson that he distrusts the police and recalled his father being racially profiled during a traffic stop. The judge dismissed him.
Despite the judge promising jurors anonymity for the duration of the trial, some feared becoming a target or said they were unnerved by the rings of barbed-wire fencing and concrete barricades around the tower in downtown Minneapolis in which the trial is being held.
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
One potential juror, a self-described Christian family man, wondered if his house might be spray-painted or his windows smashed if his name got out. The judge dismissed him, too.
Chauvin’s lawyers also used up two of their 15 peremptory challenges by which they can reject a juror without citing a reason, while prosecutors from the Minnesota attorney general’s office used up one of their nine.
But after a second Hispanic person was rejected by the defense, prosecutors complained that the defense was illegally excluding jurors on the basis of race, which the defense denied. The judge concluded there was insufficient evidence to overturn their dismissal.
The court had mailed prospective jurors an unusually detailed 16-page questionnaire last year asking them what they know about Floyd’s death, and asking for their opinions on the Black Lives Matter movement, which took hold globally following Floyd’s death in police custody.
The second potential juror called in, a white man working as a chemist in an environmental testing laboratory, said he “somewhat disagreed” with the assertion that Minneapolis police generally use disproportionate force against Black people.
He said he supported Black Lives Matter and that he understood it to mean that “all lives matter equally.”
Cahill told him soon after that he would be the first juror to be seated.
Chauvin’s lawyers say he properly followed the training he was given by the Minneapolis police department. The medical examiner ruled that Floyd’s death was a homicide caused partly by police restraint holds, but noted also Floyd had recently ingested the opioid fentanyl. Chauvin’s lawyers contend that an overdose was the main cause of death.
One potential juror, a financial auditor, said he had seen on the news that Floyd had used “hard” drugs and had been convicted of crimes in the past but would not let that affect his weighing evidence presented at the trial. Floyd had been convicted of cocaine possession and robbery in the past.
“Whether you’re under the influence of drugs doesn’t determine whether you should be living or dead,” the man said. He became the third and final juror seated on Tuesday.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Jonathan Allen
Publishing date:Mar 09, 2021 • 23 hours ago • 3 minute read • comment bubble6 Comments
General view of the Say Their Names memorial site by George Floyd Square, which is closed today to allow members of the community to mourn the killing of a man last Saturday, on the first day of jury selection in the trial of Derek Chauvin, former Minneapolis police officer accused of killing George Floyd, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., March 9, 2021.
General view of the Say Their Names memorial site by George Floyd Square, which is closed today to allow members of the community to mourn the killing of a man last Saturday, on the first day of jury selection in the trial of Derek Chauvin, former Minneapolis police officer accused of killing George Floyd, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., March 9, 2021. PHOTO BY NICHOLAS PFOSI /REUTERS
Article content
MINNEAPOLIS — The potential jurors entered a Minneapolis courtroom one by one on Tuesday and although they had never met Derek Chauvin in person, they said they knew exactly who he was: the police officer who kept his knee on George Floyd’s neck during a deadly arrest last year that caused a worldwide outcry.
Nearly all told the court they had seen the video of the May 25 arrest recorded on a bystander’s phone showing Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, begging for his life, which spread inescapably across the internet and other media.
Many conceded they had already formed a negative opinion of Chauvin, who was dismissed from the police force.
“That’s the only thing I’ve ever seen of this person: that video,” Juror No. 9, a woman who appeared to be mixed race in her 20s or 30s, told the court, trying to describe her views on Chauvin, who is white. “It just makes you sad. Nobody wants to see someone die, whether it’s his fault or not.”
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Still, she was “super excited” to receive the jury summons, a feeling that only grew after she realized that it would be for one of the most high-stakes cases seen in the United States in years.
After assuring Judge Peter Cahill of Hennepin County district court that she would be fair and impartial she became the second of three jurors seated on the first day of jury selection.
“Awesome!” she replied to the judge.
Chauvin, released from jail last October on a $1 million bond, stood politely when he was introduced to potential jurors by his lawyer. Dressed in a gray suit, dark tie and black face mask, Chauvin filled pages of a yellow legal pad with notes.
His trial is seen as a landmark case on police violence against Black people in the United States. Many of the issues that prompted the judge to set aside three weeks for selecting 12 jurors and four alternates alone quickly came to the fore on Tuesday.
There was a commonplace belief that parts of the American criminal justice system are racist, as seen in the nervous 19-year-old man who said when questioned by Chauvin’s lawyer Eric Nelson that he distrusts the police and recalled his father being racially profiled during a traffic stop. The judge dismissed him.
Despite the judge promising jurors anonymity for the duration of the trial, some feared becoming a target or said they were unnerved by the rings of barbed-wire fencing and concrete barricades around the tower in downtown Minneapolis in which the trial is being held.
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
One potential juror, a self-described Christian family man, wondered if his house might be spray-painted or his windows smashed if his name got out. The judge dismissed him, too.
Chauvin’s lawyers also used up two of their 15 peremptory challenges by which they can reject a juror without citing a reason, while prosecutors from the Minnesota attorney general’s office used up one of their nine.
But after a second Hispanic person was rejected by the defense, prosecutors complained that the defense was illegally excluding jurors on the basis of race, which the defense denied. The judge concluded there was insufficient evidence to overturn their dismissal.
The court had mailed prospective jurors an unusually detailed 16-page questionnaire last year asking them what they know about Floyd’s death, and asking for their opinions on the Black Lives Matter movement, which took hold globally following Floyd’s death in police custody.
The second potential juror called in, a white man working as a chemist in an environmental testing laboratory, said he “somewhat disagreed” with the assertion that Minneapolis police generally use disproportionate force against Black people.
He said he supported Black Lives Matter and that he understood it to mean that “all lives matter equally.”
Cahill told him soon after that he would be the first juror to be seated.
Chauvin’s lawyers say he properly followed the training he was given by the Minneapolis police department. The medical examiner ruled that Floyd’s death was a homicide caused partly by police restraint holds, but noted also Floyd had recently ingested the opioid fentanyl. Chauvin’s lawyers contend that an overdose was the main cause of death.
One potential juror, a financial auditor, said he had seen on the news that Floyd had used “hard” drugs and had been convicted of crimes in the past but would not let that affect his weighing evidence presented at the trial. Floyd had been convicted of cocaine possession and robbery in the past.
“Whether you’re under the influence of drugs doesn’t determine whether you should be living or dead,” the man said. He became the third and final juror seated on Tuesday.
Court picks first three jurors for trial in George Floyd's death, many saw video of arrest
MINNEAPOLIS — The potential jurors entered a Minneapolis courtroom one by one on Tuesday and although they had never met Derek Chauvin in person, they said…
And I heard last night on FOX NEWS that white people were not allowed to enter the area. BLM has become an anti-white racist organization. But that appears to be the trend all over America. Hate those white folk and their white privilege.
Third-degree murder charge reinstated against police officer in George Floyd's death
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Jonathan Allen and Gabriella Borter
Publishing date:Mar 11, 2021 • 3 hours ago • 2 minute read • comment bubbleJoin the conversation
This handout photo provided by the Hennepin County Jail and received by AFP on May 31, 2020 shows Derek Chauvin booking photos.
This handout photo provided by the Hennepin County Jail and received by AFP on May 31, 2020 shows Derek Chauvin booking photos. PHOTO BY HANDOUT/HENNEPIN COUNTY JAIL /AFP via Getty Images
Article content
MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota judge agreed on Thursday to allow prosecutors to reinstate an additional charge of third-degree murder against Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who is on trial for last year’s deadly arrest of George Floyd.
Judge Peter Cahill’s decision comes after the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled on Friday that he must reconsider a third-degree murder charge against 44-year-old Chauvin, whose trial got underway with jury selection this week in Minneapolis.
“I have to follow the rule that the court of appeals has put in place,” Cahill said.
The decision was welcomed by prosecutors in the Minnesota attorney general’s office who are seeking something rare in the United States — the conviction of a white police officer for killing a Black man.
The trial of Chauvin began with jury selection this week, where he already faces a more serious charge of second-degree murder, which carries a sentence of up to 40 years in prison, as well as a charge of second-degree manslaughter.
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
The reinstatement of a third-degree murder charge was a victory for state prosecutors, who had sought the additional lesser murder charge in part to afford them an extra path to a conviction should the jury find the evidence does not support the most serious charge. The third-degree murder charge carries a sentence of up to 25 years in prison.
Chauvin was seen in videos with his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes on May 25 as Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, pleaded for his life and called out for his dead mother.
Prosecutors say Chauvin, who was fired alongside three other police officers involved the next day, used excessive force.
Chauvin has argued through his lawyers that he followed his training and that the fentanyl the medical examiner found in Floyd’s blood was the main cause of death. The medical examiner ruled Floyd’s death a homicide caused in part by the police restraint holds.
Police were arresting him on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill at the store.
Floyd’s death outraged people around the world and helped fuel one of the largest protest movements ever seen in the United States, with daily demonstrations against racism and police brutality.
Lawyers for Chauvin had successfully argued last year that Cahill should dismiss third-degree murder on the basis that the statute requires the “death-causing act” not be directed at a single individual. It is often used in instances where someone uses deadly force against a crowd of people, for example.
But the Minnesota Court of Appeals recently ruled in a separate case that third-degree murder could be applied even if the “death-causing act” is directed at a specific person, and ruled on Friday that this precedent binds the district court.
Jury selection resumed later on Thursday, and a sixth juror was seated: a man who said he was addicted to true-crime podcasts.
The judge has promised jurors anonymity for the duration of the trial.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Jonathan Allen and Gabriella Borter
Publishing date:Mar 11, 2021 • 3 hours ago • 2 minute read • comment bubbleJoin the conversation
This handout photo provided by the Hennepin County Jail and received by AFP on May 31, 2020 shows Derek Chauvin booking photos.
This handout photo provided by the Hennepin County Jail and received by AFP on May 31, 2020 shows Derek Chauvin booking photos. PHOTO BY HANDOUT/HENNEPIN COUNTY JAIL /AFP via Getty Images
Article content
MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota judge agreed on Thursday to allow prosecutors to reinstate an additional charge of third-degree murder against Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who is on trial for last year’s deadly arrest of George Floyd.
Judge Peter Cahill’s decision comes after the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled on Friday that he must reconsider a third-degree murder charge against 44-year-old Chauvin, whose trial got underway with jury selection this week in Minneapolis.
“I have to follow the rule that the court of appeals has put in place,” Cahill said.
The decision was welcomed by prosecutors in the Minnesota attorney general’s office who are seeking something rare in the United States — the conviction of a white police officer for killing a Black man.
The trial of Chauvin began with jury selection this week, where he already faces a more serious charge of second-degree murder, which carries a sentence of up to 40 years in prison, as well as a charge of second-degree manslaughter.
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
The reinstatement of a third-degree murder charge was a victory for state prosecutors, who had sought the additional lesser murder charge in part to afford them an extra path to a conviction should the jury find the evidence does not support the most serious charge. The third-degree murder charge carries a sentence of up to 25 years in prison.
Chauvin was seen in videos with his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes on May 25 as Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, pleaded for his life and called out for his dead mother.
Prosecutors say Chauvin, who was fired alongside three other police officers involved the next day, used excessive force.
Chauvin has argued through his lawyers that he followed his training and that the fentanyl the medical examiner found in Floyd’s blood was the main cause of death. The medical examiner ruled Floyd’s death a homicide caused in part by the police restraint holds.
Police were arresting him on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill at the store.
Floyd’s death outraged people around the world and helped fuel one of the largest protest movements ever seen in the United States, with daily demonstrations against racism and police brutality.
Lawyers for Chauvin had successfully argued last year that Cahill should dismiss third-degree murder on the basis that the statute requires the “death-causing act” not be directed at a single individual. It is often used in instances where someone uses deadly force against a crowd of people, for example.
But the Minnesota Court of Appeals recently ruled in a separate case that third-degree murder could be applied even if the “death-causing act” is directed at a specific person, and ruled on Friday that this precedent binds the district court.
Jury selection resumed later on Thursday, and a sixth juror was seated: a man who said he was addicted to true-crime podcasts.
The judge has promised jurors anonymity for the duration of the trial.
Third-degree murder charge reinstated against police officer in George Floyd's death
MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota judge agreed on Thursday to allow prosecutors to reinstate an additional charge of third-degree murder against Derek Chauvin, the…