George Floyd once broke into a woman's house and robbed her at gunpoint, holding a gun to her abdomen. I can't confirm the truth of this additional thing I heard - that the woman was pregnant - but this was also relayed. A union chief came out calling him a violent criminal. The report of his violent act against an innocent woman is documented/on-record, and frankly I do not at all morn the death of anyone who in aggression does this - he probably should have been hanged then, or his hand cut off, to teach him a lesson. He was on fentanyl (lowered respiration, lower blood oxygen levels/hypoxia) and meth at the time his death and had cardiovascular problems. People watched two videos of his arrest, where there is at least 10 minutes of time between the two, where we don't see anything; people assumed, like idiots, that because they couldn't see him resisting arrest, that he didn't. It went viral. Reports say he did, and was being combative/resistant, refusing to get in the vehicle. He was hyped up, on drugs, distressed, flailing. He was 6 foot 4, and strong. As they held him there on the ground, they had already called in an ambulance - if I read what I read right (I'll certainly look again, so should you).
While I do think the cops could have perhaps helped to prevent his death, his own anger/frustration, and state of health including poly-drug use at the time, including fentanyl something that kills many people anyway, are probably more the cause of his death than any unsightly move that is employed without much problem in Swedish and Israeli police/military forces. I considered when I wrestled with why the police would continue holding him down, after he said "I can't breath", that he had been resisting, and had been unstable, and they were afraid if they lost control of him, even with handcuffs, he might bolt, causing further problems. He was meth-ed up. He was 6 foot 4 and stronger than any of them. They didn't know him. I am not calling this "murder", but I also keep wrestling, wanting to say there was something else that could be done.
I hope in the future, cops will be outfitted with technologies that might allow them to better handle sensitive situations like this. Many people they deal with are "sick", and volatile in action. And if they're handled wrong, it could lead to their death (police officer and suspect). I'm thinking things that might monitor heart-rate, respiration, oxygen levels, and perhaps greater.
Perhaps also sensitivity training. And stress-monitoring.
Chauvin will be exonerated (not really expecting this, not saying he should not receive some punishment/reprimand for not controlling the situation, for leading to someone's death, just throwing it out there, to contra with mob-consensus).
Memorializing him, they are- GoFundMe fundraiser has raised close to 2 million. Places are on fire (for him?). I doubt this was the only incident in his history. Special privileges, poor abused puppy.
