George Floyd Death: Demand Accountability, Don’t Romanticize Rioting

The tragic death of George Floyd on May 25 in Minneapolis has set off massive protests in the city and elsewhere. The protesters point to a video in which a police officer uses his knee to restrain Floyd, applying pressure to his neck for several minutes, as Floyd protests that he can’t breathe. This will remind any politically aware person of the death of Eric Garner in New York City in 2014.

While New York City waited five years before firing the police officer in the Garner case, Minneapolis moved more swiftly, firing all four officers who were responsible for detaining Floyd the next day. Soon after the firings, protesters hit the streets, demanding justice for Floyd in the form of arresting the officers and charging them for their apparent misconduct. On May 29, one of those officers, Derek Chauvin, was taken into custody.

ZJ

About the Author

Zaid Jilani

Zaid Jilani is the Bridging Differences Writing Fellow at Greater Good.

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The tragic death of George Floyd on May 25 in Minneapolis has set off massive protests in the city and elsewhere. The protesters point to a video in which a police officer uses his knee to restrain Floyd, applying pressure to his neck for several minutes, as Floyd protests that he can’t breathe. This will remind any politically aware person of the death of Eric Garner in New York City in 2014.

While New York City waited five years before firing the police officer in the Garner case, Minneapolis moved more swiftly, firing all four officers who were responsible for detaining Floyd the next day. Soon after the firings, protesters hit the streets, demanding justice for Floyd in the form of arresting the officers and charging them for their apparent misconduct. On May 29, one of those officers, Derek Chauvin, was taken into custody.