>>> JOINING US NOW, LIVE,
BENJAMIN CRUMP, THE LEAD
ATTORNEY FOR THE FAMILY OF
GEORGE FLOYD WHO WAS KILLED IN
MINNEAPOLIS, A WEEK AGO MONDAY,
MR. CRUMP, I SHOULD TELL YOU,
HAS ALSO REPRESENTED THE
FAMILIES OF AHMAUD ARBERY, THE
YOUNG AFRICAN-AMERICAN MAN SHOT
IN FEBRUARY WHILE JOGGING IN
FEBRUARY AND BRIONNA TAYLOR, THE
YOUNG AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN
SHOT IN MARCH IN HER LOUISVILLE
KENTUCKY MAN AS OFFICERS ENTERED
HER HOME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE
NIGHT.
MR. CRUMP, THANK YOU FOR BEING
HERE.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
>> THE HONOR IS MINE, RACHEL.
THANK YOU FOR ALWAYS USING YOUR
VOICE.
>> ON BEHALF OF THE FLOYD
FAMILY, YOU HAVE CALLED CLEARLY
FOR THERE TO BE CRIMINAL CHARGES
AGAINST ALL FOUR OFFICERS
INVOLVED IN THIS CASE.
ALL FOUR OFFICERS HAVE NOW BEEN
CHARGED, ALL FOUR ARE ARRESTED,
WE’VE GOT MUG SHOTS FOR ALL FOUR
OF THESE OFFICERS NOW, LOOKING
AT THESE MUG SHOT, KNOWING THESE
CHARGES HAVE BEEN FILED, DOES
THE FAMILY BELIEVE THIS IS SOME
MEASURE OF JUSTICE ALREADY?
>> WELL, THEY ARE RELIEVED THAT
THE ATTORNEY KEITH ELLISON,
ATTORNEY GENERAL KEITH ELLISON
EFFICIENTLY CAME IN AND ARRESTED
THE OFFICERS FINALLY, RACHEL.
WE ALL BELIEVE THAT THE OFFICERS
SHOULD HAVE BEEN ARRESTED ON THE
FIRST DAY, AFTER THEY JUST
OFFERED NO HUMANITY TO A MAN WHO
WAS FACE-DOWN, IN HANDCUFFS, AND
KEPT A KNEE ON HIS NECK, KEPT
TWO KNEES ON HIS BACK, THAT OUR
AUTOPSY FOUND COMPRESSED HIS
LUNGS, AND DIDN’T ALLOW AIR TO
CONTRACT TO IN TAKE AND DISPENSE
OXYGEN AND DENY OXYGEN TO HIS
BRAIN.
ONE OF THE WITNESSES, DARNELL,
ON THE SCENE, COMPARED IT TO A
FISH OUT OF WATER AS HE WAS
TRYING FOR AIR AND HIS BODY
STIFFENS UP AND IT NEVER MOVES
AGAIN.
HE KEPT SAYING ON THE VIDEO, HE
WAS THE ONE ON THE VIDEO SAYING
YOU ALL ARE KILLING AND AFTER
GEORGE STOPPED MOVING AND HE
CALLED FOR HIS MOM, AND AFTER HE
SAID, I’M GONE NOW, LITERALLY
GIVING A DOCUMENT RY OF HIS
DEATH, HE SAID HE KNEW THAT
GEORGE WAS DEAD, AND THIS WAS
CONFIRMED BY THE EMT WHEN THEY
SAID HE WAS UNRESPONSIVE AND
POST-LESS, SO THAT AMBULANCE WAS
HIS HEARSE, AND SO IT WAS RIGHT
TO CHARGE ALL OF THESE OFFICERS
FOR DISAVOWING THEIR OATH.
>> THIS NEW SECOND-DEGREE MURDER
CHARGE FILED TODAY, AGAINST THE
INITIAL OFFICER, THIS NEW CHARGE
LEVIED TODAY BY ATTORNEY GENERAL
ELLISON, IT ALLEGES THAT THERE
WAS INTENT TO KILL HIM.
THAT’S THE DIFFERENCE, THE
IMPORTANT DIFFERENCE HERE,
THAT’S WHY IT IS SUCH A LARGER
PENALTY, IT IS 40 YEARS IN
PRISON MAXIMUM IF HE IS
CONVICTED OF SECOND-DEGREE
MURDER.
DO YOU BELIEVE THAT SECOND
DEGREE MURDER IS THE RIGHT
CHARGE?
>> WELL, OBVIOUSLY, WE THINK
THAT THE FULL EXTENT OF THE LAW,
WHATEVER THAT IS, WHETHER IT IS
FIRST DEGREE, WHATEVER THE MAX
IS, RACHEL, WE BELIEVE HE SHOULD
BE CHARGED.
HOWEVER, ATTORNEY GENERAL KEITH
ELLISON TOLD THE FAMILY, HE
WOULD CHARGE THEM WITH THE
MAXIMUM HE FELT HE COULD
SUSTAIN.
HE ALSO TOLD THEM, RACHEL, THAT
IF THE INVESTIGATION, AS IT
CONTINUES, DISCOVERS EVIDENCE
THAT WILL HELP HIS OFFICE
SUSTAIN A CONVICTION FOR
FIRST-DEGREE MURDER, THEN WE
UPGRADE THE CHARGES, AND THE
FAMILY WAS RELIEVED, BECAUSE YOU
MAY HAVE HEARD HIS BROTHER WHO
WAS SO PASSIONATE WHO SAID, THE
PERSON I SLEPT IN THE BED WITH,
MY BIG BROTHER, THEY KILLED,
THEY TREATED HIM LESS THAN AN
ANIMAL, THEY SHOULD STAY IN
PRISON FOR THE REST OF THEIR
LIVES.
>> DO YOU HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE
PROSECUTION HERE, IN BEING ABLE
TO PROVE THIS?
I JUST SPOKE WITH THE ATTORNEY
GENERAL ELLISON RIGHT BEFORE
SPEAKING TO YOU, SIR, AND I
RAISED WITH HIM, THE FACT THAT
IN MINNESOTA, THERE IS ALMOST
ZERO TRACK RECORD OF POLICE
OFFICERS BEING CONVICTED OF
ANYTHING THEY HAVE DONE ON THE
JOB, ONE NOTABLE EXCEPTION OF A
BLACK OFFICER WHO WAS CONVICTED
AFTER KILLING A WHITE WOMAN ON
THE JOB BUT OTHER THAN THAT, WE
WILL SEARCH THE HISTORY BOOKS TO
FIND CONVICTIONS IN THE STATE.
DO YOU BELIEVE THAT THE
PROSECUTION KNOWS HOW TO DO THIS
AND THEY KNOW HOW TO DO IT
BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT AND
THEY KNOW HOW TO CONVINCE A
JURY?
>> WE DO HAVE CONFIDENCE OF THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL AND HIS
CAPABILITIES BASIS BASED ON HIS
TRACK RECORD.
ALSO THIS VIDEO GIVES PROOF, AND
WE GET TO HEARD, BASED ON THE
POLICE BODY CAM VIDEO WHICH WHAT
THEY WERE SAYING WHICH WAS THEIR
MENTALITIES AT THE TIME.
BUT I ALSO BELIEVE, RACHEL, THAT
IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO CONVICT
WHITE POLICE OFFICERS FOR
KILLING BLACK PEOPLE IN AMERICA.
I HAVE LONG ARGUED THAT WE HAVE
TWO JUSTICE SYSTEMS IN AMERICA.
ONE FOR BLACK AMERICA.
AND ONE FOR WHITE AMERICA.
WHEN WE HAVE TO HAVE EQUAL
JUSTICE FOR THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA.
I THINK THIS CASE IS A TIPPING
POINT TO SHOW AMERICA THAT WE
HAVE TO HAVE SYSTEMIC RESPONSES
TO THIS POLICE EXCESSIVE USE OF
DAILY FORCE AGAINST BLACK AND
BROWN PEOPLE, HAPPENING ALL OVER
THE COUNTRY.
AND THIS CASE CAN HOPEFULLY
SPEAK TO THOSE LARGER ISSUES,
BUT FOR THIS CASE PARTICULARLY,
IT IS GOING TO TELL US, CAN
BLACK PEOPLE IN AMERICA IN 2020
GET EQUAL JUSTICE.
DOES AMERICA BELIEVE IN THE
WORDS OF THOMAS JEFFERSON, THAT
WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS TO BE
SELF-EVIDENT, THAT ALL MEN ARE
CREATED EQUALLY, THAT THEY’RE
ENDOWED BY THEIR CREATOR, WITH
CERTAIN UNALIENABLE RIGHTS, THAT
AMONGST THEM ARE LIFE AND
LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF
HAPPINESS.
THAT MEANS BLACK PEOPLE, TOO,
AMERICA.
ANDFLOYD’S LIFE MATTERED
AND BLACK LIVES MATTER.
>> BENJAMIN CRUMP, ATTORNEY FOR
THE FAMILIES OF GEORGE FLOYD,
BREONNA TAYLOR, AHMAUD ARBERY.