>>> NOW TO NEW REPORTS OF A
CONTROVERSIAL POLICE STOP THAT
ENDED IN A DEATH, ALL CAUGHT ON
TAPE
TONIGHT THERE IS OUTRAGE OVER
THE CASE OF THIS MAN WHO DIED
AFTER BEING RESTRAINED BY
POLICE
AND YOU’LL SEE ON THIS VIDEO, HE
REPEATEDLY CAN BE HEARD SAYING,
QUOTE, I CAN’T BREATHE
MINNEAPOLIS POLICE OFFICERS WERE
APPROACHING GEORGE FLOYD AS A
POTENTIAL FORGERY SUSPECT LAST
NIGHT, AND THEY ALLEGE THAT HE
RESISTED ARREST.
BUT IT IS NOW THE POLICE ACTIONS
THAT ARE UNDER SCRUTINY BECAUSE
OF VIDEO TAKEN BY A WITNESS
SHOWING ABOUT FIVE MINUTES OF
THE INTERACTION, INCLUDING THIS
CONTROVERSIAL MOVE WHERE A
POLICE OFFICER PUTS AND
COMPRESSES HIS KNEE ON FLOYD’S
NECK, LEADING HIM TO REPEAT "I
CAN’T BREATHE.
NOW BEFORE I SHOW YOU THIS, LET
ME EXPLAIN HOW WE APPROACH THESE
MATTERS, BECAUSE IT IS OBVIOUSLY
DIFFICULT TO LOOK AT ANYTHING
LEADING INTO SOMEBODY’S DEATH.
WHAT WE’RE SHOWING HERE IS A
VERY SHORT CLIP ONCE SO YOU CAN
HAVE SOME UNDERSTANDING OF THE
LARGER CONTEXT BEFORE WE TURN TO
THE EXPERT
HERE THE CLIP.
>> I CAN’T BREATHE
PLEASE, I CAN’T BREATHE.
>> GET UP AND GET IN THE CAR.
>> I WILL.
>> GET UP AND GET IN THE CAR
>> I CAN’T MOVE.
>> POLICE ACKNOWLEDGE FLOYD WAS
UNARMED.
THE FBI AND STATE OFFICIALS ARE
NOW INVESTIGATING THE INCIDENT
THAT’S A DAY INTO IT
IF YOU WATCH OUR PROGRAM, YOU
MAY KNOW THAT IS MUCH FASTER
THAN ANY OTHER SUCH INCIDENTS
WHERE SOMETIMES IT TAKES MORE
PUBLIC PRESSURE.
ALSO, WE WANT TO SHOW YOU THE
MAYOR SIMPLY ANNOUNCING THE FOUR
OFFICERS, ALL INVOLVED IN THIS
PARTICULAR ARREST, HAVE NOW BEEN FIRED.
>> TIME AND AGAIN WE’VE SEEN
BLACK MEN DIED AT THE HANDS OF
LAW ENFORCEMENT OR MORE RECENTLY
NOT LAW ENFORCEMENT, FOR NO
REASON
THERE WILL BE AN INVESTIGATION
CONDUCTED INTO THE CIVIL RIGHTS
VIOLATIONS BY THE FBI, AND I
THINK THAT WAS ABSOLUTELY THE
RIGHT CALL
>> AS FOR THAT SIMPLE PLEA,
THOSE THREE WORDS, QUOTE, I
CAN’T BREATHE, IT IS SADLY
FAMILIAR TO MANY BECAUSE IT
BECAME SOMETHING OF A NATIONAL
PROTEST ANTHEM AFTER ERIC
GARNER, AN UNARMED BLACK MAN IN
NEW YORK, HAD SAID THOSE WORDS,
ALSO CAUGHT ON TAPE, REPEATEDLY
HEN A NEW YORK POLICE OFFICER
WAS HOLDING HIM IN WHAT WAS
DEEMED AN ILLEGAL CHOKEHOLD
BEFORE HIS DEATH JOINING US NOW IS MARQ CLAXTON
JOINING US NOW IS MARQ CLAXTON
HE IS A RETIRED NYPD DETECTIVE
AND DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS
AND POLITICAL AFFAIRS.
HE COMES TO US WITH THE
KNOWLEDGE OF POLICING AND CIVIL
RIGHTS ISSUES.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US
TONIGHT.
>> THANK YOU, I APPRECIATE IT.
>> WITH REGARD TO THE INCIDENT
ITSELF, BASED ON THE AVAILABLE
EVIDENCE WHICH INCLUDES A MUCH
LONGER VIDEO THAN THE CLIP WE
SHOWED, AS WELL AS SOME
REPORTING, BUT IT IS EARLY,
OBVIOUSLY, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT
AVAILABLE EVIDENCE, WHAT DO YOU
SEE IN THIS INCIDENT
>> WHAT I SEE IS SOMETHING
THAT’S VERY DIFFICULT TO WATCH
AND HAS UNFORTUNATELY BECOME ALL
TOO FREQUENT IN THE COMMUNITIES
OF COLOR IN PARTICULAR, AND THAT
IS THE PAIN, THE ANGUISH, AND IN
THIS CASE AS IN SOME OTHER
CASES, THE ACTUAL DEATH OF AN
INDIVIDUAL
IT IS ABSOLUTELY AVOIDABLE
MANY OF THESE CASES ARE -- AND I
THINK THE FACT THAT WE REFUSE TO
DEAL WITH THE ROLE THAT RACE
PLAYS IN THE ENFORCEMENT OF LAW,
WILL CONTINUE TO SEE THESE
INSTANCES TAKE PLACE
AND JUSTICE IS SO FAR AWAY FOR
THESE FAMILIES THAT.
THERE HAVE BEEN HISTORICAL CASES SIMILAR TO THIS ONE THAT KIND OF
SIMILAR TO THIS ONE THAT KIND OF
GIVE US A BLUEPRINT AND EVENTUAL
OUTCOME PERHAPS OF THIS
PARTICULAR CASE.
BUT IT’S VERY PAINFUL, VERY
TROUBLING, VERY DIFFICULT TO
WATCH.
AND THERE IS MORE THAN JUST
INDIVIDUALS, THERE IS A
COMMUNITY OF INDIVIDUALS AND
CIVILIANS WHO ARE SUFFERING
BEHIND IT.
>> AT THE PRACTICAL LEVEL OF
POLICE MANEUVERS, WE HAVE SEEN
THESE TYPE OF INCIDENTS.
I MENTIONED THE GARNER CASE,
WHERE ALTHOUGH THIS WILL BE
LITIGATED, SO I WILL SAY IT VERY
CAREFULLY.
THERE IS AN ALLEGATION OF DEADLY
FORCE, AS YOU KNOW AND I THINK
VIEWERS KNOW, THERE IS A LARGER
LEGAL PROCESS FOR DETERMINING
CAUSE OF DEATH, AUTOPSY, ET
CETERA
BUT AN ALLEGATION OF DEADLY
FORCE THAT COMES OUT OF
TECHNIQUES THAT ARE NOT SUPPOSED
TO BE DEADLY, A CHOKEHOLD OR A
RESTRAINT IS OBVIOUSLY NOT
SUPPOSED TO BE A METHOD TO
EXECUTE SOMEONE IN CUSTODY
LET ME READ FROM THE MINNEAPOLIS
POLICY ON THIS FOR YOUR ANALYSIS
FOR OUR VIEWERS TO UNDERSTAND,
BECAUSE THEY DEFINE THE NECK
RESTRAINT AS COMPRESSING ONE OR
BOTH SIDES OF THE INDIVIDUAL’S
NECK WITH AN ARM OR LEG WITHOUT
APPLYING DIRECT PRESSURE TO THE
TRACHEA OR AIRWAY.
THE GUIDANCE NOTES THEY SHALL
NOT BE USED AGAINST SUBJECTS WHO
ARE PASSIVELY RESISTING.
AS WITH ALL POLICING, MOST OF
THIS IS AT THE LOCAL LEVEL OF
RULES AND LAWS
WHAT CAN YOU SPEAK TO BOTH THE
RULES AND WHETHER THEY WERE
FOLLOWED AND WHAT’S SHOWN ON THE
VIDEO?
>> WE HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL
HERE, AND THAT IS -- THIS IS AN
OPPORTUNITY REALLY TO COMMEND
THE RESPONSE BY MAYOR FREY AND
CHIEF ARREDONDO BECAUSE WHAT
THEY REALIZED AND UNDERSTOOD IS
THAT WE CAN DEAL WITH THE
MINUTIA OF THE SPECIFIC RULES
AND REGULATIONS AS IT RELATES TO
POLICE USE OF FORCE, ET CETERA
WE CAN DEAL WITH SOME OF THE
FRINGE AREAS OF THE LAW, OR WE
CAN DEAL WITH WHAT WE ACTUALLY
SAW WITH OUR OWN EYES AND DEAL
WITH THIS CASE AND OTHER CASES
LIKE IT ON AN EMOTIONAL
RESPONSIBLE WAY TO REALLY
ADDRESS THE ISSUE AT HAND.
BECAUSE IF WE HAVE A DEBATE OR A
DISCUSSION ABOUT THE INTRICACIES
OF POLICE TACTICS, ET CETERA,
THAT WE MISSED THE POINT
THE POINT OF --
>> LET ME JUMP IN AND SAY -- ARE
YOU SUGGESTING THAT LEGAL OR
NOT, YOUR CONCERN IS THE
RESTRAINT BEING DISCRIMINATORILY
USED ON THIS SUSPECT WHEN IT
WOULDN’T BE USED ON A SIMILAR
SUSPECT, A FORGERY SUSPECT WHO
MIGHT HAPPEN TO LOOK DIFFERENT
>> THAT’S PART OF THE CONCERN.
THE LARGER CONCERN IS THAT
SOMETIMES WE KIND OF, YOU KNOW,
WE LOSE THE FOREST FOR THE
TREES.
AND THAT WE HAVE AN INDIVIDUAL
HERE WHO SHOULD NOT BE SUBJECTED
TO EXTRAJUDICIAL EXECUTION WHO
WAS SUBJECTED TO EXTRAJUDICIAL
EXECUTION.
IF WE DON’T EXAMINE SOME OF THE
LARGER SOCIO POLITICAL ELEMENTS
AND ISSUES, THEN WE KIND OF MISS
THE OPPORTUNITY TO PREVENT THIS
FROM EVER HAPPENING AGAIN.
WE CAN HAVE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT
THE LEGAL TERMINOLOGY AND USE OF
FORCE ISSUES HERE, BUT SOMETIMES
IT’S ALLERGIER THIEN THOSE
ISSUES
AND WHAT I OUND, THE
COMMUNITIES OF COLOR HAVE FOUND
IS WHEN WE BEGIN TO FOCUS ON
THOSE ISSUES, WE KIND OF LOSE IT
BECAUSE EVENTUALLY THERE MAY BE
FEDERAL INTERVENTION IN THIS
CASE THERE MAY BE SOME STATE
INTERVENTION, ET CETERA.
BUT WHAT WE WANT IS JUST IN A
SENSE THAT NO ONE SHOULD BE
SUBJECTED TO THIS, AND NO FAMILY
SHOULD HAVE TO DEAL WITH THIS
PAIN, AND NO COMMUNITY SHOULD
HAVE TO FEEL AS IF THEY ARE