The Fall Of Minneapolis

Posted in History, Killed By Police, Library of Congress, Race by chamblee54 on December 15, 2023

The Fall of Minneapolis, a documentary about the death of George Perry Floyd, Jr. I have followed this case, along with the rest of America. Until recently I believed the conventional wisdom. Minneapolis police officer Derek Michael Chauvin put his knee on GPF’s neck for 8:46, and caused GPF to die. We are learning that the truth might be different.
I decided to watch TFOM, and write about it. I was also putting it off. Part of this process was finding things to include in my report. There was a report that said TFOM was conservatives pushing an agenda. Other people people have opinions on the matter. Finally, I heard The Truth about George Floyd’s Death with Glenn Loury and John Mcwhorter.
One thing I wanted was a copy of the autopsy report. Recently, parts of it have been released. The report shows high levels of Fentanyl and Methamphetamine in GPF’s system. I googled “George Floyd Autopsy,” and found a lot of commentary. Next, I did the same search on duckduckgo. The top result was the HENNEPIN COUNTY AUTOPSY REPORT ME NO.: 20-3700. The document clearly states “No life-threatening injuries identified.”
Finally, I ran out of excuses, and turned the show on. The first few minutes was body cam videos. It was downright fascinating. GPF was BOMBED. The store clerk commented on this in his 911 call, after GPF allegedly tried to pass a counterfeit twenty. The clerk then pointed to a parked car across the street, where GPF was sitting in the driver’s seat.
The parked car was not part of the overall narrative. Why did GPF sit there in the vehicle, instead of leaving? As high as GPF appears to be, was it a good idea for him to drive? An officer … not DMC … approached the vehicle. GPF opened the car door, instead of rolling down the window. Is this important in what happened later?
GPF is acting like a jerk, and resisting. GPF’s behavior is similar to the performance of Rayshard Brooks in his interrogation. GPF is taken outside the vehicle and handcuffed. GPF starts saying “I can’t breathe” at this point, which might be an indication that he could. Before long, DMC arrives, and GPF is on the ground.
Next, TFOM gets into the riots after GPF died. The Minneapolis government made some questionable decisions. The next part is the trial of DMC. It seems as though the judge made questionable calls about what evidence to admit. Many people say DMC did not receive a fair trial.
One especially controversial element here is the use of Maximal Restraint Technique, or MRT. Some people testified that MRT is not taught by Minneapolis police trainers. Others show pages from training manuals, and pictures of models demonstrating MRT. In bodycam pictures, DMC’s knee appears to be an the shoulder, and the side of the neck. This is not the story that inflamed America.
TFOM does appear to have a “conservative” approach to the story. It is tough to draw conclusions based on watching a documentary. If you want to learn more about GPF and DMC, google is ready when you are. Duckduckgo might be more helpful.
Pictures are from Second International Pageant of Pulchritude and Eighth Annual Bathing Girl Revue, May 21-23 1927, Galveston TX. They are from The Library of Congress.