George Floyd’s Killing: A Catalyst for Change, and for Crime

One year ago today, Derek Chauvin kneeled on George Floyd until the latter man lost his pulse and ultimately died. Coming after two months of lockdown and many decades’ worth of tension between black communities and the police, the incident set off a chain of explosive reactions.

The case has been, at once, a story in itself, a major contributor to a nationwide rise in the murder rate, and the impetus for policy responses across the country.