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Original poster

Chauvin trial re George Floyd - Sky News

291 replies

chilling19 · 31/03/2021 08:42

Is anyone watching this? With the really upsetting and unarguable against video footage I can't see how the defence can build a case. Also the baiting by the defence lawyer of the female EMT witness was horrendous, as was the judge telling her off. She held her ground though, as did the previous child (female) witnesses.

OP posts:
Delphinium20 · 01/04/2021 20:08

Nobody is shutting down discussions rather countering why the hell it's necessary to worry "what about the white men" when the international uprising from George Floyd was because we recognize racism plays into police brutality in the US.

Erkrie · 01/04/2021 20:11

when the international uprising from George Floyd was because we recognize racism plays into police brutality in the US.

And what if you're wrong? Why is impossible to consider any other possibility apart from one?
Personally I prefer to seek the truth. Whatever that is.

Scepticaltank · 01/04/2021 20:33

The person who comes to my mind, when people are talking about a violent man involved in the death of another violent man, an act which is the very essence of human history and happens every second of every day somewhere on the planet, is the woman whose unborn baby was just currency, inhuman enough to have a gun placed exactly where both would die for a little bit of money and a temporary a high. I care nothing for either of these men, only that mother and her baby.

I hope she is well hidden.

MabelPines · 01/04/2021 20:47

Scepticaltank

A useful reminder that some people see violence against women and children as problematic because of the harm it will cause to the reputation of men.

I hope that woman and her child are safe and well.

Erkrie · 01/04/2021 20:50

I hope she is well hidden

♥️

UsedUpUsername · 01/04/2021 20:52

@chilling19

I found the footage really upsetting and tried to imagine a white man being put in the same position. Also, I keep coming back to no matter how high he was, or how dangerous he was perceived to be by the cops, death is not a proportionate response. It seems he had a massive panic attack and could have been talked down by properly trained police. As it is, they ignored all the signs that he was in trouble with his health and carried on - the sheer arrogance of Chavin in particular is obvious - he really didn't give a damn.
Tony Timpa.

Not surprising you didn’t hear of him though

UsedUpUsername · 01/04/2021 20:57

@RoyalCorgi

The police do usually get away with murder. Has there ever been a successful prosecution in the US (or even the UK for that matter) of a police officer killing a black person?

The police officer quite deliberately stood on Floyd's neck until he was dead. It was entirely unnecessary. The fact that Floyd may have been a nasty piece of work is neither here nor there. It is not the job of the police to issue summary justice.

You should also see what happened to the cop who killed Daniel Shaver, which is the worst police killing I ever saw. You can see video on YouTube (the guy was white btw)

Retired with pension 🤬

InvisibleDragon · 01/04/2021 21:03

The footage of the restraint is really upsetting.

I work in an environment where physical c restrain is sometimes used and I've received training on how to be part of a restraint team.

Standing on someone's neck is not restraint. It is assault. There is no restraint technique that says stand on someone's neck until they stop breathing.

At least where I work, the key messages from restraint training are basically:

  • don't touch the chest and neck area
  • restrain someone on their neck not their front of at all possible
  • is someone is not resisting, don't keep holding them down
-use the least restrictive restraint possible to safely manage dangerous behaviour

The George Floyd footage is literally the opposite of all of this. They have him on his front, they were compressing his throat so he can't breathe (deliberately), and they hold him in that position until he literally stops breathing. It's horrifying.

LouiseBelchersBunnyEars · 01/04/2021 21:17

@Delphinium20

Nobody is shutting down discussions rather countering why the hell it's necessary to worry "what about the white men" when the international uprising from George Floyd was because we recognize racism plays into police brutality in the US.
It’s probably because the OP said in the fourth post about ‘trying to imagine a white man in this position’. The OP was literally the one who brought up white men, so you can’t get annoyed when people provide proof, that yes it does happen to white men too. It’s hardly ‘whataboutery’ when the OP was the one to mention it 🤷‍♀️
thevassal · 01/04/2021 21:33

@Scepticaltank

The person who comes to my mind, when people are talking about a violent man involved in the death of another violent man, an act which is the very essence of human history and happens every second of every day somewhere on the planet, is the woman whose unborn baby was just currency, inhuman enough to have a gun placed exactly where both would die for a little bit of money and a temporary a high. I care nothing for either of these men, only that mother and her baby.

I hope she is well hidden.

are you referring to the "fact" that GF apparently threatened to shoot a pregnant woman in the stomach in a previous arrest? Because snopes couldn't find any evidence for that claim www.snopes.com/news/2020/06/12/george-floyd-criminal-record/ www.factcheck.org/2020/06/meme-spreads-wrong-photo-details-in-floyd-criminal-case/

I mean, he was hardly an angel and I broadly agree with your point that often less attention is paid to female victims of violence. But a) facts are important and b) whatever GFs background is is irrelevant to this case, as he wasn't named in the call to police so it didn't affect their actions towards him. Plus only worrying about whether or not people were illegally killed if they were "good" people is a bit of a slippery slope to start down...

Scepticaltank · 01/04/2021 21:35

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ismiseeire · 01/04/2021 21:37

You can watch the full trial live on Channel 179 if you have Sky. What Sky reports and what happened in the courtroom are somewhat different.

ismiseeire · 01/04/2021 21:39

Having watched the whole thing today and yesterday, the Defence are moving on two approaches imo to give reasonable doubt to the jury. 1. That it could have been caused by drugs and 2. That the paramedic response was not good.

ismiseeire · 01/04/2021 21:41

It's still live on channel 179 as they are behind us timewise. They're on lunch (or they were as I have paused during the day). You can watch the whole thing as it happens. You can watch what the lawyers are asking as well as the testimony. It's really interesting.
I did start a thread in Crime here, but nobody responded.

ismiseeire · 01/04/2021 21:43

If anyone else has the time to watch it as it happens, I've set up a thread here

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/crime/4208173-Is-anyone-watching-Court-TV-George-Floyd-trial

Scepticaltank · 01/04/2021 21:47

So ghoulish! No scriptwriter needed.

ancientgran · 01/04/2021 21:51

@Delphinium20 Yes. There was a successful conviction of a police officer in the US - it was also in Minneapolis. Justine Damond was a woman killed by a MPD officer. Yes the only successful conviction of a police officer for murder in Minneapolis was a black officer and white victim.

I wonder if they will convict a white officer of killing a black victim.

Scepticaltank · 01/04/2021 21:53

Plus only worrying about whether or not people were illegally killed if they were "good" people is a bit of a slippery slope to start down...

Are people legally killed? In America? With the death penalty?

ancientgran · 01/04/2021 21:56

@Dervel 2. The autopsies, whilst both appear to differ they are more similar that it first appears, George Floyd’s heart gave out, and there is evidence of this occurring before the knee hold was applied.

If his heart gave out before the knee on his neck how was he shouting, saying he couldn't breathe, calling for his mother and saying he loved her? I can't see how you can do that if your heart had given out.

ismiseeire · 01/04/2021 21:56

Defence are going head on for reasonable doubt in terms of how he died. Courts are not nice places. So far, they are trying to prove potentially drugs, potentially paramedic response. That's my interpretation of where they are going with it.

ismiseeire · 01/04/2021 21:57

It will come down to expert medical witnesses as to cause of death.

ismiseeire · 01/04/2021 21:59

If they can prove reasonable doubt as to cause of death, Chauvin will get off.

VladmirsPoutine · 01/04/2021 21:59

Wish someone would consider the plight of those white men who are routinely assaulted, harangued and assaulted by police officers. Race has nothing to do with it. WE are all The Human race.

ismiseeire · 01/04/2021 21:59

You can watch the trial live as I said and watch all the proceedings on Court TV, Channel 179 on Sky.

ismiseeire · 01/04/2021 22:00

@VladmirsPoutine

Wish someone would consider the plight of those white men who are routinely assaulted, harangued and assaulted by police officers. Race has nothing to do with it. WE are all The Human race.
Or white women who are not believed.