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Charges filed against all four police officers in Floyd killing
MINNEAPOLIS, June 4, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Prosecutors in Minnesota on Wednesday
upgraded charges against the US police officer primarily implicated in the
killing of a handcuffed black man, and charged three other officers over the
death, which has ignited nationwide protests.
With a key demand met, demonstrators vowed to press on in the fight against
racism, staging protests in cities from New York to Los Angeles after the new
charges were announced.
Pressure on Trump mounted as his former Pentagon chief Jim Mattis launched
a searing broadside, accusing the Republican leader of trying to “divide”
America.
In Minnesota, prosecutors had initially charged 44-year-old Derek Chauvin –
– the white officer filmed kneeling on the neck of George Floyd for nearly
nine minutes — with third-degree murder.
But they said Wednesday they were upgrading the charge, roughly akin to
manslaughter, to second-degree murder, which does not involve premeditation
but carries stiffer penalties.
“I believe the evidence available to us now supports the stronger charge of
second-degree murder,” Minnesota attorney general Keith Ellison said.
Chauvin’s three colleagues at the scene of Floyd’s May 25 arrest for
allegedly seeking to buy cigarettes with a counterfeit bill are accused of
being complicit in the killing.
Tou Thao, 34, J. Alexander Kueng, 26, and Thomas Lane, 37, were charged
with aiding and abetting second-degree murder, and taken into custody.
The arrest of all four officers involved has been a focus for tens of
thousands of protesters who have marched the streets of dozens of US cities
for the past nine days, often defying curfews to condemn police brutality and
demand racial justice.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said the upgraded charges and arrests presented
a chance to “come back to the issue at hand… systemic racism and the lack of
accountability.”
“This is probably our last shot, as a state and as a nation, to fix this
systemic issue,” he said.
– ‘Bittersweet moment’ –
Floyd’s family, in a statement thanking protesters, called the arrests and
new charges a “bittersweet moment” — and a “significant step forward on the
road to justice.”
They urged Americans to continue to “raise their voices for change in
peaceful ways.”
At a protest in Manhattan, Brian Clark said the charges were “a good start”
but vowed demonstrators would “exercise our right to protest until every black
person gets the justice they deserve.”
“It’s not enough,” added fellow demonstrator Elijah B., who did not give
his last name.
“This could have happened a week ago… it wasn’t until people started
marching on the streets and started tearing things that people started to pay
attention.”
Thousands took to the streets in both Hollywood and downtown Los Angeles. A
large group also protested at the US Capitol.
Former president Barack Obama applauded the “change in mindset” he sees
among Americans demanding racial justice, and urged the nation to “take the
momentum that has been created as a society, as a country, and say ‘Let’s use
this’ to finally have an impact.”
– ‘Law and order’ –
While condemning Floyd’s death, Trump has adopted a tough stance towards
the protesters, saying they include many “bad people” and calling on governors
to “dominate the streets.”
“We need law and order,” he repeated on Wednesday.
Mattis ripped into Trump, calling him “the first president in my lifetime
who does not try to unite the American people — does not even pretend to
try.”
“Instead, he tries to divide us,” the retired Marine general said in a
blistering statement posted online by The Atlantic.
Trump has raised the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act to deploy
active duty troops to quell unrest.
But Mattis’ successor Mark Esper said that option should only be used as “a
matter of last resort and only in the most urgent and dire of situations.”
“We are not in one of those situations now. I do not support invoking the
Insurrection Act,” said the current defense secretary.
White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said Wednesday that the act
remains “a tool available” to the president, who is facing a tough reelection
battle in November.
“The president wants to protect America’s streets,” McEnany said. “We
cannot have burning churches. We cannot have police officers that are shot. We
cannot have businesses that are looted and destroyed.”
Trump meanwhile denied media reports that he was rushed for his safety to
the White House bunker while protests raged in the streets outside.
“It was a false report,” Trump told Fox News Radio, before saying that he
did go into the secure area for an “inspection” and only for a “tiny, little,
short period of time.”
Reports of Trump taking shelter sparked a wave of online mockery, which is
believed to have contributed to his decision on Monday to make a controversial
visit to a partly damaged church near the White House.
Police violently dispersed mostly peaceful crowds of protesters to clear a
path for Trump, and the photo opportunity was widely condemned.
– ‘No more’ –
Curfews remained in place Wednesday in cities including New York, Los
Angeles and Washington, though they were slightly loosened.
Los Angeles and Washington both delayed the start of their curfews by
several hours, compared to previous nights.
Former president Jimmy Carter called on “people of power, privilege and
moral conscience” to bring an end to racial discrimination.
“We need a government as good as its people, and we are better than this,”
the 95-year-old Carter said in a statement.
BSS/AFP/MMA/0940HRS