 |
| 911 Dispatcher Jena Scurry explaining why she reported use of force to police sergeant |
"Today I look at you as a maggot," said Charles McMillian to Derek Chauvin as the ambulance left with George Floyd's body.
On Day 3 of the trial, he testified that he had said to Derek Chauvin five days before May 25, 2020, "I'm going to respect you. At the end of the day, you go home safe to your family, and the next person go home to his family safe."
But after witnessing the murder, he immediately told Chauvin that his view had changed; he now saw him as a maggot.
He said these words after having been polite to the officers for an hour, trying to intervene and save George Floyd's life.
McMillian's education ended after third grade, but morally and as a human, he was miles ahead of any of the officers who showed up.
Darnella Frazier, a passerby entering Cup Foods with her little cousin, was the star of the second day. Here's an excerpt from the New York Times report on Day 2 of the trial.
As her voice cracked, Ms. Frazier described how what she witnessed that day last May had changed her life. She sometimes lies awake at night, she said, “apologizing to George Floyd for not doing more and not physically interacting and not saving his life.”
“When I look at George Floyd, I look at my dad,” she added. “I look at my brothers. I look at my cousins, my uncles because they are all Black. I have a Black father. I have a Black brother. I have Black friends. And I look at that, and I look at how that could have been one of them.”
This trial is riveting, heartbreaking for anyone who is human.
It's also triggering for anyone who is Black. It calls up fears and memories of police violence, whether personally experienced or through friends or news events such as the Rodney King beating.
"I've been avoiding it all week," said Baratunde Thurston, a writer, comedian, and commentator.
A black friend says she is not able to watch the trial; it's too painful. She expects it to end with Chauvin getting little or no jail time.
As a white person, I'm able to watch it, but even for me the testimony and video are horrific.
Prosecutors Jerry Blackwell and Erin Eldridge, we're depending on you.
Testifying on Day 1:
911 dispatcher Jena Scurry, who called the police dept. sergeant to report the mishandling.
"Something might be wrong," she testified. "I became concerned... My instincts were telling me that something was wrong... I took that instinct, and I called the sergeant."
Passerby Donald Williams, a mixed martial arts fighter and an expert on chokeholds. He said that the type of chokehold Derek Williams was using is called a "blood choke, a tactic that hinders air circulation from the head to the rest of the body." He felt that George Floyd was murdered and called the police on the police immediately afterward. He was cross-examined on Day 2.
From the Minneapolis StarTribune: As Williams watched the viral video shot by a fellow bystander, he told the court that Chauvin was shifting his weight on purpose repeatedly to tighten the hold on Floyd's neck, what the witness called a "shimmy." At one point, he said Floyd was trying to fight "through the torture."
See also video of Day1 of the trial
Testifying on Day 2:
Darnella Frazier, a passerby was asked by the prosecuting attorney, "How did this event change your life?" See her answer above.
Darnella's 9-year-old cousin also testified very movingly.
Genevieve Hansen, an off-duty fire fighter and paramedic, urged police to stop choking him and check his pulse. They ignored her. During her cross-examination, this exchange took place (as reported in the Washington Post):
When [defense counsel] Nelson asked whether Hansen would describe the “demeanor” of others around her as “upset or angry,” Hansen gave a cutting response: “I don’t know if you’ve seen anybody be killed, but it’s upsetting.”
There was murmuring.
The judge reprimanded her for arguing with the defense lawyer's question. She continued testimony on Day 2.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/30/us/george-floyd-witness-darnella-frazier.html
Testifying on Day 3:
Passerby Charles McMillian (see above).
Christopher Martin, 19-yr-old cashier who challenged the $20 bill and is grieving over having told his manager, who called the police.
Video excerpts of Day 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCFKQBo8j_Y
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/03/31/charles-mcmillian-chauvin-trial/
No comments:
Post a Comment