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“I Can’t Breathe” has become a powerful slogan about and a clarion call to action challenging the injustice of police brutality. These words remind us of the plight of Sandra Bland, Eric Garner, and now George Floyd. Sandra Bland echoed the same words from her jail cell after a wrongful arrest. Eric Garner uttered these words as he took his last breath in 2014 as New York City police officer, Eric Panteleo used an illegal chokehold to restrain him. George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man accused of check forgery and resisting arrest cried out for his life. As a Minnesota police officer lodged his knee in Floyd’s neck for 8-10 minutes, he lay helpless on the ground handcuffed. Floyd could be heard saying “I Can’t Breathe.” He subsequently died from his injuries. A viral video emerged on Monday depicting the death of George Floyd. The video has inflamed tensions in Minneapolis, Minnesota and across the nation.
It is unclear what led to the aggressive arrest of George Floyd. An eyewitness Donald Williams observed the interaction between Floyd and police. Williams noticed the encounter as he entered a nearby corner store. He reported that Floyd repeatedly told officers he could not breathe, and his stomach hurt. Floyd could also be heard asking for water. His concern grew as Floyd’s nose began to bleed and his eyes “ turned a different color.” Williams reported an attempt to approach and inquire about the situation. No explanation was given by officers at the scene other than Floyd was resisting arrest.
After George Floyd’s death, additional footage depicted a different story. Minneapolis Park Police, officers can be seen removing Floyd from a parked car. He is handcuffed and placed on the sidewalk without difficultly. A subsequent video has emerged showing not only Chauvin on Floyd’s neck, but two additional officers perched on Floyd’s lower body. The city identified the officers as Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao, and J. Alexander Kueng. The four officers involved in the incident were later dismissed from the force. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and protestors called for the filing of criminal charges against the officers. The FBI has opened an investigation into the incident.
Small groups of protestors gathered at the Third Precinct police station late on Wednesday, May 27th. The crowd swelled to thousands; it was now a standoff as police in riot gear formed barricade lines. Officers on rooftops used concussion grenades to keep the crowd at bay as rocks, water bottles, and other projectiles were thrown at police.
Protests continued unabated into a second night. Police in riot gear used rubber bullets, tear gas and concussion grenades against the peaceful protestors. Looting broke out, as the Minneapolis Third Precinct Police Station burned to the ground. As the situation escalated, a man found shot was taken to the hospital where he later died. Protests spread into South Minneapolis as people set fire to stores and looting became widespread. A renovated Target was burned and looted, and a neighborhood apartment development was burned to the ground. A popular shopping center on Lake Street, was almost destroyed. Mayor Frey attributed the violence towards the Black communities to more than 400 years of inequality at a news conference on Thursday.
In Memphis, Tennessee activists marched in solidarity with Minneapolis protestors. More than 1000 Black Lives Matter members shut down 101 Freeway, one of LA’s main arteries. On May 29th, Derek Chavin was formally charged with third degree murder and manslaughter for his role in the Floyd murder. Since Thursday, solidarity protests have erupted all over the country in 75 cities. Active protests are occurring in Los Angeles, Columbus, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C. New York City, Rochester, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Fargo, Denver, and Salt Lake City to name just a few. In response to the escalating violence, Minnesota’s Governor Tim Waltz activated the National Guard and declared a state of emergency in Minneapolis St. Paul. States of Emergency, curfews and mobilization of the National Guard has also occurred in at least 40 US cities as protests continue to escalate.
Police brutality is the 21st century manifestation of lynching. The challenge is to reclaim the lifeblood and the breath of freedom and justice. Rather than victims grasping for air, they can breathe the air of freedom, dignity, and respect.