On Monday, a video of George Floyd an American-African man handcuffed and begging for his life from cops who have pinned him to the ground has surfaced on the internet. The Minneapolis cops defended themselves by claiming that they responding to an alleged forgery Monday evening and were told a person later described as the suspect was sitting on a car. They found Floyd, who at that point was inside a car and police said he “physically resisted” after he got out.
In the video, Floyd can be seen begging for his life. He says, “Please, I can’t breathe,” to the officer a few minutes before laying motionless on the pavement. He is seen saying “My stomach hurts,” Floyd can be heard telling the officer. “My neck hurts. Everything hurts,” which clearly explains the torture. He even asked for water, “Give me some water or something. Please. Please.” The bystanders urged the officers to release Floyd from their hold. Yet, the officers pretended to be deaf. As soon as Floyd went motionless the cops taunted him to “ Get up and get in the car”.
George was rushed to the hospital where he was declared dead.
The cops were fired soon after the incident.
Mr Jacob Frey, Mayor of Minneapolis said, “The technique that was used is not permitted; is not a technique that our officers get trained in on. And our chief has been very clear on that piece. There is no reason to apply that kind of pressure with a knee to someone’s neck.”
“When you hear someone calling for help, you are supposed to help. This officer failed in the most basic human sense. What happened on Chicago and 38th this last night is simply awful. It was traumatic and it serves as a clear reminder of just how far we have to go.”
“Being black in America, should not be a death sentence,” he added.
During an emotional interview with CNN US’s Don Lemon Floyd’s siblings and cousin held his picture and described him as a man who “didn’t hurt anybody” and “gentle giant”.
Floyd’s cousin Tera Brown said, “They need to be charged with murder because what they did was murder.”
“And almost the whole world has witnessed that because somebody was gracious enough to record it. [The officers] need to pay for what they did,” she added.
“They treated him worse than they treat animals,” said Philonise Floyd. “They could have tased him; they could have maced him. Instead, they put their knee in his neck and just sat on him and then carried on,” he added.
In less than 24 hours many protestors took to the Minneapolis street to showcase solidarity with messages like “stop killing people for being black,” “Justice for George,” and, his last words, “I can’t breathe.”
FBI and Minnesota Law Enforcement authorities will carry out its investigation on this case.
