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For over a week, the outrage over George Floyd's death at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis has spread across different cities not only in the United States but around the world.
Thousands of people have taken to the streets in protest after the African American lost his life by asphyxiation when a police officer arrested him for using counterfeit currency and, after immobilizing him, pressed his neck with his knee for nearly 8 minutes, ignoring the cries for help from both the accused and witnesses at the scene.
Who was George Floyd
George Floyd was 46 years old and was from Houston and when he moved to Minneapolis he was employed as a security guard, but due to the pandemic and the current economic crisis, he lost his job like many other Americans.
After a report of suspected counterfeit currency (a $20 USD bill) at a grocery store, police officers arrived at the scene and found George Floyd, who resisted being handcuffed and a struggle ensued as he was being placed in the patrol car.
It was at that moment that the accused fell to the ground and officer Chauvin immobilized him by placing his knee on George Floyd's neck and pressing against the ground, while the accused told him "I can't breathe," a situation that continued for more than 8 minutes. Witnesses at the scene indicated that after 2 minutes in which Floyd stopped calling for help, he was transported to a medical center and declared dead nearly an hour later.
This is the situation that has unleashed a wave of protests because it occurs in a context in which the Black community is constantly subjected to excessive surveillance and police persecution.
Rashawn Ray, a researcher at the Brookings Institution wrote in an article that "Black people are 3.5 times more likely than white people to die at the hands of police when they are not attacking or have a weapon. Black teenagers are 21 times more likely than white people to die at the hands of police officers and police kill a Black person every 40 hours"; although statistics have improved compared to the past, they are the reason why there are hundreds of people protesting.
Police brutality against the African American community is not the only reason for protest, in general they are poorer, receive less income, the quality of education they receive is deficient, they have higher unemployment rates, lower level of access to higher education, elevated maternal mortality rates and a higher incarceration rate compared to white people.
So it is the systemic and structural racism that African Americans face daily that has generated the indignation of society, leading to looting, confrontations and more.
This is therefore a clear case of discrimination based on race of the many that occur daily in the United States, unfortunately this one had the worst possible outcome, which is why at Conexión Legal we want to invite you, as a victim of discrimination, no matter what your case may be, to defend your rights in a timely manner.At Conexión Legal we offer free legal advice in cases of discrimination or racism; contact us through this channel by the WhatsApp icon or Schedule your Consultation and explore alternatives to solve your case.Follow the steps in the following form to schedule your free consultation appointment.
