Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

George Floyd killed my police whilst being arrested.

126 replies

Nosurveysneeded · 27/05/2020 09:24

George Floyd was held down with a foot on his neck preventing him breathing for 8 mintues whilst being arrested in the US - during this time he started by saying he was struggling to breathe. People filmed him and attempted to tell the police that he couldn't breathe and please help him.
The police (cops) ignored the pleas. George slowly lost conciousness and then was taken away in an ambulance - he died.

I am shocked that a policeman is so out of touch with what he is doing and unaware that he is causing serious harm to a person he is arresting. I am disgusted that the cop ignore people trying to draw his attention to what he was doing.

George was black and the cop was white. There are now protests for the 4 police officers involved to be charged with murder.

I am completely shocked that the 3 other police officers didn't step in and stop the killing of this man.

YABU - the cop made a mistake in a difficult situation

YANBU - the cop should be charged with murder.

I cannot believe that the poor man spent his last minutes of life on the floor with people asking the cop to let him breathe - I guess I am in shock that this could happen. I am obvioulsy ignorant to the way some people are treated. Please do not watch the video unless fully prepared - I have never seen someone literaaly die on the floor like that whilst others want the cops to check him. He was being arrested for forgery and not armed.

OP posts:
Original poster
Nosurveysneeded · 27/05/2020 09:25

Oh no thread title wrong - should say killed by police officer not my

OP posts:
Waxonwaxoff0 · 27/05/2020 09:27

YANBU. This is murder. The man was in handcuffs, there was absolutely no reason for such brutality.

I would honestly be terrified to live in the USA if I were black. The police there are disgraceful with the way they use their power.

SuperFurryDoggy · 27/05/2020 09:28

I made the mistake of watching the video. I felt I owed it to the poor man really. Horrific. The officer kneeling on his neck looked like he was enjoying it.

Pertella · 27/05/2020 09:28

No doubt there will be people along soon to defend this police officer, just like they did when Ahmaud Arbery was murdered.

No doubt these people will also be saying how dreadful the ensuing social unrest and protests against the police are.

Wewearpinkonwednesdays · 27/05/2020 09:30

I don't think that man was unaware of what he was doing at all. Disgusting.

Original poster
Nosurveysneeded · 27/05/2020 09:31

I am not sure if I should really have started a thread on this subject.

I watched it - was shocked more than I have been on many other stories. The poor man

He deserves justice but I am wondering in AIBU is the wrong place to discuss or bring up such an important topic.

I just cannot believe that despite onlookers pleading with the cops to stop and check if the man was breathing the cops ignored them.

The poor man - its horrible.

OP posts:
Rosehip10 · 27/05/2020 09:31

On the "bad things about living in America thread" there were people trying to say the racism/police attitudes in America were "over stated" Confused

Original poster
Nosurveysneeded · 27/05/2020 09:32

It's on BBC news now - they say 5 minutes on his neck, not 8. However, the point is the same.

OP posts:
Original poster
Nosurveysneeded · 27/05/2020 09:32

I am not sure if this is racism or whether the cop would do the same thing to a white guy being arrested.

I watched the video he was not resisting at all.

OP posts:
TheFallenMadonna · 27/05/2020 09:33

I know the officers have been dismissed, but has anyone said about whether they will be charged with causing his death? It seems literally incredible that they won't. Does it just take a long time to do it?

Original poster
Nosurveysneeded · 27/05/2020 09:33

Fortunately, the 4 officers have been fired. However, at least one of the officers should be charged with murder - in my opinion.

OP posts:
Original poster
Nosurveysneeded · 27/05/2020 09:36

Pertella

I understand the protests. I would join one myself if I lived there.

No excuses - it is clear he is not resisting, unarmed, and dying on the floor.

OP posts:
Waxonwaxoff0 · 27/05/2020 09:37

I watched the video and it was 9 minutes long. The officer already had his knee on the man's neck at the beginning of the video and it was there until the end of the video. Definitely longer than 5 minutes.

sqirrelfriends · 27/05/2020 09:38

The officer who instructed his breathing should be charged with murder, the others for being accessories. Just one officer acting George's behalf could have saved his life.

Callous, pathetic excuses for human beings. I hope they never sleep well again.

Dillydallyingthrough · 27/05/2020 09:40

All of the officers should be charged, I've seen they have been fired and FBI has been called in to investigate. But I wont hold my breath, this happened before and the police officers have not been charged.

The video is really upsetting, my DD (almost 16) was about to watch it and I had to stop her and described broadly what happened. She has decided not to watch it as she said she couldn't watch someone dying on camera by police. As someone who is BAME I would be terrified of living in USA, however I have plans to leave the UK after witnessing an increase of racist incidents here (we live in London).

BeatrixPottersAlterEgo · 27/05/2020 09:40

The officer, Derek Chauvin, has been involved in 3 or 4 other incidents where a suspect was killed. There's apparently been quite a few complaints made about him, none of which have been acted upon

He knew exactly what he was doing. I'm not sure how anyone can excuse this but no doubt they'll try

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 27/05/2020 09:40

Disgusting!!! I couldn’t watch the video it was too horrendous. Sadly this man’s name just gets added to the endless list of black Americans that die at the hands of racists and never receive justice. The Trayvon Martin case still brings a tear to my eye

BeatrixPottersAlterEgo · 27/05/2020 09:42

And the reason the police were called in the first place was apparently because George Floyd had tried to pay for something in a deli with a counterfeit bill

sqirrelfriends · 27/05/2020 09:50

@BeatrixPottersAlterEgo so he could have been completely innocent, counterfeit bills are in circulation and innocent before proven guilty. Why would they even need to manhandle him, he posed no threat and had committed a non-violent "crime". The only answer I can think of is because they wanted to hurt him and exert their power over him.

Brefugee · 27/05/2020 09:50

I am not sure if this is racism or whether the cop would do the same thing to a white guy being arrested.

There are organisations who track this and IIRC it seems that race is a huge part in how they are treated on arrest.

Waxonwaxoff0 · 27/05/2020 09:55

I used to work in a post office and I have had people try to pay with counterfeit bills. It wouldn't ever have occurred to me to call the police about it, unless they were trying to deposit a large amount of cash (obviously fraud in that case). He might not even have known it was counterfeit! We used to just inform the customer that it was counterfeit and retained the money.

I bet if an elderly white lady had come in and tried to pay with a counterfeit bill the police wouldn't have been called.

Original poster
Nosurveysneeded · 27/05/2020 09:55

Brefugee

Thanks - I will be honest I have heard that their is massive racism by police in America - I don't know much about it. Saddened.

OP posts:
Mulhollandmagoo · 27/05/2020 10:04

I honestly cannot believe that in 2020, things like this still happen 😭 no, YANBU at all, and I think the officers should be charged, primarily because what they did was disgusting and absolutely criminal, but also because of they walk away from this unscathed it makes it ok and it will continue to happen. A custodial sentence would send a ear message that this is unacceptable

BeingATwatItsABingThing · 27/05/2020 10:05

This really upsets me. I don’t understand how this can be allowed to happen with no consequences. I won’t be watching the video because I know it will just be awful. I hope that the evidence is enough to convict though.

Pixiefringe · 27/05/2020 10:09

They should all be charged with murder because that's what it was. There is NO WAY the cop holding his knee on his neck didn't know the damage he was doing.

Swipe left for the next trending thread