MOBB United for Social Change Demands Justice for George Floyd
I always say I won’t watch the video. I can’t watch. I’ve seen too many of them already and know the impact it will have. The rising stress levels. The vicarious grief that ensues. The elevated fear for my sons.
I still remember watching the brutal street murder in broad daylight of Eric Garner six years ago at the hands of NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo. It played repeatedly on TV for weeks, months, then years afterwards as we all fought for and awaited justice that never came. We all watched as Eric Garner was literally choked to death for the nonviolent crime of allegedly selling illegal loose cigarettes. We couldn’t believe that after seeing THAT video that those in power wouldn’t take action. That there would be no trial. That Officer Pantaleo would remain on the police force for five more years, until after unrelenting public pressure he eventually was fired by NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill -- who then had to resign because his fellow officers were so outraged that he had the audacity to fire an officer who choked a man to death in broad daylight as he yelled “I Can’t Breathe” 11 times.
Though there have been multiple police killings since Eric Garner, mostly by gunfire, I never thought I would again see anything so brutal, so heartless, so casually callous as his murder. This week, I was proven wrong. George Floyd, accused of the very non-violent crime of forgery, was brutally murdered as a crowd watched in broad daylight when Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin decided to restrain him on the ground by pressing his knee into his neck as he held him for arrest. At the time that the viral video begins, Floyd is crying out for help. He can’t breathe. His neck hurts. His stomach hurts. The crowd begs the officer to stop, to simply stand up. He’s already handcuffed with his hands behind his back. Why not place him in the police car? Why not let him breathe? As Floyd’s nose begins to bleed, the crowd becomes more agitated, more demanding. Fellow officers standing by, including an officer identified as Tou Thao, did nothing but try to calm down the people in the crowd who were all witnessing a live murder. Eventually, Floyd became lifeless. He stopped breathing.
Officer Derek Chauvin never moved his knee or even looked down to check on him. It seems clear that in his eyes, George Floyd wasn’t a human being worthy of any consideration. That he was inhuman and unequal. Even worse, the image that will be forever seared in my memory is that the officer kept his hands casually resting in both pockets the whole time. He seemed relaxed, not agitated or escalated. Not angry, threatened or in fear of his life. Just a cool, casual murder on a Spring afternoon, for no apparent reason at all.
Unlike Officer Pantaleo in the Eric Garner case, four officers have already been fired in connection with the death of George Floyd. For this, we applaud Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo for taking this swift action. We also acknowledge the quick response of state and federal law enforcement agents who are now investigating this case.
It’s important to note that this is not the first time we’ve seen misconduct from the Minneapolis Police Department.
Jamar Clark, a 24-year-old Black man, was shot in the head and died in 2015 after a confrontation with two white officers responding to a reported assault. A county prosecutor declined to prosecute the officers and said Clark was struggling for one of the officers´ guns when he was shot.
Contrast that result with the police shooting of a white woman, Justine Rusczcyk Damond, who died in 2017 when she was shot in the stomach by a Minneapolis officer responding to her 911 call. That officer, who is Black, was convicted of manslaughter and murder and is serving a 12-year prison sentence.
And of course, there is the 2016 case of Philando Castile, in the neighboring town of St. Anthony, Minnesota, who was murdered by a police officer in his car after being pulled over for a broken taillight. His girlfriend, who was in the backseat with her 4-year-old daughter, broadcast the gruesome aftermath live on Facebook. That officer was never charged.
These injustices prove that great change is needed in Minneapolis. The first step is the arrest of the four officers who killed George Floyd.
Call To Action
#ProtectThem by demanding immediate action for George.
We urge you to join M.O.B.B. United for Social Change in making our voices heard by contacting the following local official with these demands:
- Demand that the four officers, and especially Officer Derek Chauvin, be arrested and charged with murder immediately.
- Demand that Police Chief Medaria Arradondo and Mayor Jacob Frey denounce racism and police brutality in the city of Minneapolis and work toward putting firm policies and practices in place to end it. The presumption of danger and guilt that follows Black boys and men for their whole lives has caused countless unnecessary deaths and despair in our families and communities. Leadership must take a clear stand to put an end to it. We applaud the Mayor and Police Chief for actions taken and statements made to date in this case and expect to see further, ongoing action from them on this issue.
Mike Freeman, Hennipen County Attorney
1-612-348-5550
[email protected] (You can email Freeman simply by clicking on this link, which will auto- populate a pre-scripted email. Feel free to customize it by adding your name.)
Medaria Arradondo, Minneapolis Police Chief
1-612-673-3559
Jacob Frye, Minneapolis Mayor
1-612-673-2100
M.O.B.B. United for Social Change, Inc. is a nationwide coalition of moms who are dedicated to making the world a safer place for Black boys and men by eradicating harassment, brutality and unwarranted use of deadly force by law enforcement and others against our sons. The group was born out of frustration over the deaths of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile in Minnesota and numerous other innocent Black boys and men killed by police before and after them. It has grown into a mobilized force of moms determined to make a difference. We aim to influence both policy and perception that impact how Black boys and men are treated by law enforcement.