George Floyd's Death Stokes Calls For Minneapolis Officers To Be Charged
Just one day after the death of a black man whose arrest was recorded and posted on social media by a passerby, Minneapolis is grappling with the fallout that has spread beyond city limits.
The disturbing video of Monday night's death — during which a white officer's knee was planted firmly on George Floyd's neck and his desperate calls for help were ignored — has prompted protests in the Minnesota city and demands for charges for the officers involved.
"We watched for five whole excruciating minutes as a white officer firmly pressed his knee into the neck of an unarmed, handcuffed black man," he added, noting that the arresting officer was not practicing a technique condoned by the city's police.
The Minneapolis Police Department has not publicly confirmed the officers' identities, and it said the FBI is also investigating the circumstances of Floyd's death.
Already a video recorded earlier this year in Georgia — depicting the death of an unarmed black man, who was followed and shot by two white men while out for a jog three months ago — has renewed questions about the conduct of local police, who did not arrest the men until after the video surfaced this month.
