George Floyd: More to the story.

[Aldebaran]

Like I said, it was reported. I've known about this since at least last week.


I think most people's issue is less on where he was and more about the knee in the back of his neck that killed him.

If they'd just been a little rough with him, we probably wouldn't even be having this conversation. The issue is that they killed the man with an unncesscary use of force. You can speculate, you can guess, you can suppose all you want, but none of it changes one, salient fact:

He didn't deserve to die.

You can't get around that. Smear him all you like, bring up all the crimes, harp on every single thing the man did, and it won't change a single thing about this. It won't make what happened to him anything less of an injustice. And since it won't, bringing it up can be clearly seen for what it is - a smear tactic. A lazy attempt to someone how make what happened to him justified. Maybe you don't mean to do it, but that's exactly what you're doing.

I'm sorry if you don't like negative facts to be known about the guy that people are rioting over. But fairness and equality dictates that people know just as much about this guy as is known about the cops--be it about their past, or the events of the day in question.

 

[Michie]

I've never seen an anti-police post that says, "This by no means means that there wasn't a struggle with the police". It's all been one-sided so far and I think it's high time for facts to be made known that are currently being either withheld or ignored.

Hey, I understand what you are saying and I’m not here to join in to villainize you. I know what it’s like to post various opinions and facts and get attacked for it. I was just saying as a fellow poster. I knew you were showing a different aspect of the story.

 

[iluvatar5150]

If there's a video that shows what happened before he was laying on the ground, then let's see it.

There are a few from security cameras. What I've seen isn't terribly clear, but it looks like he might've put up some mild amount of resistance. Were they justified in taking him to the ground in the first place? Quite possibly. But if that had been as far as it had gone, we wouldn't be having this conversation.

So what? Don't you want to know all the facts, or do you believe you know all there is to know simply by watching a Youtube video?

It's disingenuous to pretend as if all of these facts matter and are anything other than an attempt to distract us from what does matter.

Is his previous criminal record relevant? No.

Are the drugs in his system relevant? Possibly, in so much as they could have made him more susceptible to whatever condition caused his death. But they could be a smokescreen, too, depending on the details of how much was in his system and when he took it.

Does any of this have anything to do with why Chauvin et al stayed on top of him for 8+ minutes, during several of which Floyd was unconscious.

 

[Aldebaran]

We did not see Floyd acting in this way.

That's because none of us were there, and the video doesn't show what happened prior to when he was on the ground.
Were you around during the Rodney King riots? Even though King's actions leading up to the beating by the cops was caught on video, it was withheld until the trial of the cops. As a result, people jumped to conclusions and rioted, killing dozens of people and burning down communities.

That's what happens when people don't hear the full story.

 

[Handmaid for Jesus]

That's because none of us were there, and the video doesn't show what happened prior to when he was on the ground.
Were you around during the Rodney King riots? Even though King's actions leading up to the beating by the cops was caught on video, it was withheld until the trial of the cops. As a result, people jumped to conclusions and rioted, killing dozens of people and burning down communities.

That's what happens when people don't hear the full story.

Here is video of the arrest.

 

[rjs330]

Once he was handcuffed, the neck restraint was no longer needed. Once he became unresponsive, the neck restraint was no longer needed. Once he started turning blue from asphyxiation, the neck restraint was no longer needed.

Looks like there is a longer video. Taken from officer's body cam, bystanders dash cam, and security cameras.

Be warned, it's difficult to watch.

Unfortunately the video doesn't show why Floyd was placed on the ground. He was resisting arrest in the beginning. And he resisted arrest by revisiting being put in the car. So up til that point police were justified in their actions.

As soon as the officer places his knee on his neck he is in violation of policy and law. By failing to get Floyd up into a sitting position he failed to follow proper police procedures and was in violation of law. Those poor people witnessed a man being murdered. The cops that saw what was happening watched were complicit in murder.

That cop should never see the light of day outside of prison again. The other cops should be imprisoned for most of their lives. There is no training that would allow that kind of action. They have tarnished the badge and the honorable profession.

This would never had occurred if Floyd would have complied and not resisted. This would never have occurred if that cop had been fired earlier for his behaviors. He should never have been wearing the badge that day.

 

[Tone]

Al Sharpton is doing it right now...booooyyyyy!

 

[Michie]

Al Sharpton is doing it right now...booooyyyyy!

Yeah I’m watching too.

 

[Tone]

which would logically lead to him being restrained

Where is the logic in the leap from restraint to murder?

 

[Aldebaran]

There are a few from security cameras. What I've seen isn't terribly clear, but it looks like he might've put up some mild amount of resistance. Were they justified in taking him to the ground in the first place? Quite possibly. But if that had been as far as it had gone, we wouldn't be having this conversation.

I don't disagree with most of that.

It's disingenuous to pretend as if all of these facts matter and are anything other than an attempt to distract us from what does matter.

Is his previous criminal record relevant? No.

As long as anyone wants to focus on one side of the matter--and one side only, they aren't going to see the big picture, and then will feel justified in rioting and looting. Small wonder that it's what we see happening at this time. That's why facts are important, and not a smokescreen. Calling facts a smokescreen is just a way of trivializing the facts.

Does any of this have anything to do with why Chauvin et al stayed on top of him for 8+ minutes, during several of which Floyd was unconscious.

It could. What were the cops waiting for? An investigation would uncover that.

 

[Tone]

And Floyd's past record shows that he has been violent, committed violent crimes, and was currently using a synthetic opioid.

If anything this would make him more docile.

 

[Handmaid for Jesus]

It could. What were the cops waiting for? An investigation would uncover that.

I agree.

 

[Tone]

A. That's because none of that is being reported. Probably due to backlash for pointing out any of these facts. It sure didn't take long for this thread to face it.

B. The fact that there may have been aggression on Loyd's part would indicate why they had him on the ground rather than in the backseat where many people keep saying he should have been put once in handcuffs.

They could have hogtied him and carried him to the back seat.

 

[Michie]

Anybody going to stand for the almost 9 minutes that knee was on his neck? They are getting ready to at the memorial.

 

[Tone]

He was on meth and tried to use counterfeit money

Allegedly. Do you recall this little phrase:

"Innocent until proven guilty."

?

 

[iluvatar5150]

As long as anyone wants to focus on one side of the matter--and one side only, they aren't going to see the big picture, and then will feel justified in rioting and looting. Small wonder that it's what we see happening at this time. That's why facts are important, and not a smokescreen. Calling facts a smokescreen is just a way of trivializing the facts.

Frankly, that's a load of nonsense and it's the kind of thing that would be said by someone who's being manipulative. Facts can quite easily be a smokescreen when they're not relevant.,

We have enough information in the video to know that the cops were, at best, extremely callous in their disregard of his health and safety. That assessment is not affected by whether or not they were justified in taking him to the ground in the first place, whether he had a criminal record, or whether he had any drugs in his system. We can see how much he was resisting while he was on the ground (very little) and for how long he was resisting (not very long).

It could. What were the cops waiting for? An investigation would uncover that.

If they were truly waiting for something, they didn't do a very good job of evaluating the situation against that milestone, since they stayed on him for several minutes after he went unconscious. They even stayed on him while the paramedics were wheeling over the gurney.

 

[agapelove]

Next you will tell us there is more to the story of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. He had a criminal history of destroying property inside the temple, and he most likely died from a combination of high blood pressure and being nailed to the cross.

 

[Handmaid for Jesus]

If they were truly waiting for something, they didn't do a very good job of evaluating the situation against that milestone, since they stayed on him for several minutes after he went unconscious. They even stayed on him while the paramedics were wheeling over the gurney.

Say that!

 

[Tone]

I'm sorry if you don't like negative facts to be known about the guy that people are rioting over. But fairness and equality dictates that people know just as much about this guy as is known about the cops--be it about their past, or the events of the day in question.

Your insistence to cast the victim in a negative light is very very lame. Not only that, it is completely unnecessary, as we already know, people who want to lighten the blow of this heinous crime are the very same who uphold the corrupt system, we are speaking against--a system that inherently looks upon minorities as less than, for whatever lame reason they can concoct.

 

[lasthero]

I'm sorry if you don't like negative facts to be known about the guy that people are rioting over.

It’s not that I don’t like them - I’ve known them. They don’t change the issue at hand. The only reason to bring them up is in a lackluster defense of the police officer, but none of that changes any of the facts which people are in arms about.

I wouldn’t have mattered if Floyd was the meanest man on Earth or the reincarnation of a Teletubby.

He didn’t deserve to die.