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Floyd had to know he was dying, he had seen the
Eric Garner video, and videos of other African American
men in this same situation. We’ve all seen those images.
He wasn’t the first black man to end up in a struggle for
survival with police over a “suspected” minor offense,
and he won’t be the last.

We can hear him pleading and begging… even
calling out, “Mama, Mama!” Floyd’s cry for mercy, as well
as the admonishments to the officers from the gathered
crowd to let him breathe, all fell on deaf ears, as the
officers continued to apply even more pressure. Floyd
cried out, “Please, the knee in my neck, I can’t breathe.”
Then Floyd gasps, “I’m about to die!” To which Officer
Chauvin responded, “Relax.”
Eventually, the arresting officers called for an
ambulance on a non-emergency basis. About a minute
later, they escalated the call to emergency status.
Chauvin continued to kneel on Floyd’s neck…even
after Floyd appeared to be completely unresponsive.
When bystanders confronted the officers about Floyd’s
condition, Chauvin pulled out mace to keep bystanders
away, as Officer Thao moved between them and Chauvin.
Bystanders repeatedly yelled that Floyd was no
longer responsive, and urged the officers to check his
pulse. Allegedly, Kueng checked Floyd’s wrist but found
no pulse. Sadly, the officers did not attempt to provide
first-aid or CPR for Mr. Floyd.

By now, there are hundreds of copies of the videos
showing the arrest and death of George Floyd that have
gone viral around the world. To watch a non-violent
suspect die at the hands of police officers, right in front
of your eyes added a very different dynamic to police
brutality.