George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ending Institutional Injustice

There has been a lot of chaos of late. Maybe some of it was justified in my opinion. For instance, there was no reason for Breonna Taylor to be shot eight times in her bed on the night of March 13th; the result of a "no knock" warrant and botched police raid, non-working body cameras, or trying to cover it up with a nearly blank incident report. The three officers, all white, were veterans on the force, with service ranging from 14 years to 19 years, are currently on administrative leave while their boss tried to skip out.

Chief of Police Steve Conrad tried to duck out by taking early retirement. Shame Breonna, an EMT, didn't get to retire early. Fischer, Louisville's worthless mayor, was right (for once) to finally fire him. The FOP and Metro Council had been demanding his removal since 2016; longer than that by the public. As the saying goes, "a fish rots from the head down". Fischer needs to follow Conrad out the door.

There was no reason for Officer Derek Chauvin to kneel on George Floyd's neck, resulting in his death. Worse was the three other officers standing around watching. However, to claim this was a "white on black" crime is to ignore the facts. Yes, officers Chauvin and Thomas Lane are white, but Officer J. Alexander Kueng is black and Officer Tao Thao is Asian.

Some claim that Floyd was resisting arrest and was a felon with a long record. Based on existing footage, there's no indication that Floyd was resisting arrest. In the footage, he appears to have been mouthing off to Chauvin, but so what? I think most people get a bit mouthy when they feel they're being harassed or bullied. But even if he was, is that justification to take the situation to the point where someone dies?

As for being a felon, Floyd had a long rap sheet, which is something not being widely reported by the media (it doesn't fit their narrative). In 2009, Floyd did five years in prison for assault and armed robbery in 2007. Previously, he had done time for everything ranging from selling drugs to thief.

Just prior to being stopped by Officer Chauvin, Floyd had been attempting to pass off counterfeit $20 dollar bills in the area. He had just tried to buy a pack of cigarettes with one at the Cups Food convenience store at the corner of East 38th and Chicago streets when he was stopped. Odds are pretty good that George Floyd was already well known to the cops who worked that particular part of Minneapolis when the four officers approach Mr. Floyd on May 25th.

It was reported to officers that the suspect (Floyd) appeared to be "drunk", however, indications are that he wasn't drunk, and as the autopsy later bore out, had drugs in his system---fentanyl and methamphetamine-- which might explain some of his behavior (he didn't want to get into the police car, claiming that he was "claustrophobic"). As an aside, Floyd was suffered from acute heart disease, although the police officers wouldn't have known that.

It's worth noting that while officers Chauvin, Lane, and Kueng were attempting to force Floyd into the back seat, he reportedly suddenly stiffen and started complaining about trouble breathing (this was prior being thrown to the ground and Chauvin placed his knee on his neck) according to witnesses.

Another fact is that Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng, both rookies, were wearing body cameras which were reportedly active at the time. These recordings haven't been released yet, but they should prove very interesting. Throughout, Floyd stated 16 times that he couldn't breathe, and even at one point stated that he felt like he was dying. Meanwhile, Chauvin kept his knee (and full body weight) on Floyd's neck as Lane held down his legs, Kueng held his back, while Thao tried to keep the crowd at bay.

Throughout all this, Officer Lane was apparently uncomfortable with the situation and repeatedly questioned how Floyd's treatment. Each time, Chauvin assured him that everything was fine. It wasn't until blood started coming from Floyd's mouth that the lead officer, Chauvin, called for medical backup. Kueng checked for a pulse and failed to find one. Meanwhile, none of the officers changed their positions. Lane continued to hold Floyd's legs; Kueng remained applying pressure to his back, and Chauvin's knee and full weight remained on Floyd's neck.

None of the officers released their holds until EMS arrived and Floyd was placed on the gurney; a full 12 minutes after Floyd began complaining about his breathing. Another five minutes would elapse before the EMTs arrived. Officer Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. According to bystanders, 2 minutes and 53 seconds of this was after Floyd had become totally unresponsive.

There's no question that something went horribly wrong here. Police officers are trained on how to deal with someone resisting arrest. Given Floyd's criminal past (not to mention his 6'4" 223 pound frame), they were obviously cautious. No doubt this is why they called for backup (not to mention that there was another male in the SUV with Floyd and a woman in the back seat). However, it was apparent that "something" was happening to Floyd before he was placed on the ground (he had been placed in handcuffs about ten minutes earlier)
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I don't see this as a case of white police brutality toward a black male. As I previously said, there was a black and Asian officer present as well as another white officer who was obviously very concerned with what was going on. It does appear, however, Officer Chauvin was unconcerned with Floyd's physical complaints. Perhaps he thought Floyd was lying or trying to gain some sort of advantage on the four officers (albeit handcuffed) or didn't know a heart attack when he saw one. At the very least, he could have released pressure on Floyd's neck or rolled him over on his back as suggested by Officer Lane.

One can, just maybe, excuse the two rookies. They were, after all, "just following orders". As trite as they may sound, it's what fresh rookies need to do to stay alive. Lane, age 37, had been on the force just four days. Kueng, 26 had been on the force for about a week; it was just his third shift. Chauvin was his training officer.

Tao Thao, 34, had been on the force for eight years. He had six complaints filed against with Internal Affairs for excessive use of force, false arrest, etc. All were closed without any disciplinary action. At the time of the incident, one case remained open for excessive use of force and false charges being filed.

As for Derek Chauvin,44, the lead officer on scene, he had been on the Minneapolis Police Department for 19 years. He had had 18 complaints filed against him; two included disciplinary charges. He had previously served in the Army as an MP. Chauvin had twice been recommended for the police department's medal of valor for action taken in two violent incidents involving officers.

Chauvin is being held on a one million bond and charged with second degree murder. The other three officers are being held on a $750,000 bond each. They are being charged with aiding and abetting second degree murder. All four men have been fired. Given the amount of press already devoted it will be interesting to how jury selection and trial goes.

For that matter, given the dozens of protests and riots not just in this country, but around the world, I suspect a "guilty" verdict is all but assured (the minimum sentence for second degree murder charge is 40 years). I shudder to think what would happen if they're acquainted! It should be remembered that Thao was doing crowd control and Lane, the four day rookie, was showing the most concern, was acting under the direction of his supervisor, Derek Chauvin.

There's no doubt the George Floyd's death was tragic. There's no excuse for what happened. Yes, the officers needed to be extra careful given Floyd's criminal past and reports of acting "drunk" (plus his physical size). That's just being smart. Many an officer has been injured or killed for less. However, given that he was in handcuffs and there were four armed officers on the scene, more attention should have been given to his health complaints. EMS needed to have been called much sooner.

I don't think this had anything to do with Floyd's race. Nothing in what we know indicates otherwise. What it does appear to show is a lack of compassion or empathy. As for the protests and riots, the country was primed and waiting for just an event since the deaths of Eric Garner and 12 year old Tamir Rice in 2014 and others along with the virulent hatred built for Donald Trump since his election by the media. It was bound to happen. It was only a matter of time. It was almost a custom made situation waiting to be exploited. Breonna Taylor let the fuse.

That's not to say there isn't some form of systematic racial discrimination among police departments throughout the country. There is. But a lot of steps have been taken to get rid of it too. On the other hand, there is also a cultural and racial distrust (rightly or wrongly) of authority figures, including the police. Some thinking they can ignore or run from the police. Not a bright idea. If you have a beef with the cops, that's fine. Do what you need to do to get through the situation, and then get a lawyer and do something about it the right way.

Speaking of racism, it needs to be mentioned that racism is not a "white only" issue. Racism is a two way street. Any person or group can be guilty of racism just as they can be of sexual, religious, ethnic, or even political discrimination. The idea that only whites are guilty of discrimination is ludicrous and naive at best. Unless you're willfully guilty, apologizing is just wrong. The same goes for kneeling.

Why are you on your knees begging for forgiveness (and washing or kissing feet---really?) for something you didn't or wouldn't do? Have you've been convinced that you "suffer" from some form of "white privilege"? Could it be that if such a thing existed, it was the creation of politicians and they are the ones responsible? If racism or any other form of systematic injustice exists, its root cause lays in Washington, our state capitols, and in City Hall.

There is no doubt that injustice exists. It's a fact of life. It's always existed and unfortunately, will always exist in some form or fashion. If you really want to do something about, get off your knees and start changing laws, and the best way to do that is start changing politicians. That means ending the corporate relationship with government. That means ending Citizens United. It means term limits. It means reforming the tax code to create a simpler and fairer tax. It means opening up elections to third parties and Independents (who are the political majority anyway). It means citizen referendums and ballot initiatives. It also means voters deciding on tax, rate, or fee increases. It means doing away with lifetime salaries and perks. It means that laws passed by Congress equally applies to Congress. You want to end injustice? That's where you need to start.



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To 'Protect and Serve', But Whom? The Decline of Trust in America's Police

I am not sure what to make of the death of George Floyd. As you probably know, Floyd was the man killed by Minneapolis Police Officer, Derek Chauvin, who, after handcuffing Floyd, kneeled on his neck with his full weight which, despite pleas from Floyd that he couldn't breathe, caused him to eventually passed out and die. Chauvin and the other officers who neither said or did anything, were fired the next day. While trial will no doubt be forthcoming, the central question is whether the officers will be held to the same standards as everyone else.

We all remember Eric Garner who was choked to death by one of New York's "finest", Officers Daniel Pantaleo, with assistance from Officer Justin D'Amico, despite pleading eleven times to the officers that he couldn't breathe (they insisted that Garner was continuing to "resist". Witnesses testified that he was only trying to get air and with every attempt, the officer's grip only tightened. Ultimately, the officers were acquitted of all charges. Even the Department of Justice refused to press charges.

In 2014, a 21 year old college student named James King was misidentified in connection with a non-violent petty crime. However, that didn't stop three members of a joint federal/state police task force of beating him into unconsciousness. These undercover officers, who did not identify themselves as such, were looking for someone wanted for stealing empty aluminum cans and a box of liquor. They pinned King against a van and while yelling at him, began looting his pockets. King, who thought he was being robbed, broke and ran only to be tackled by the officers and subsequently beaten to a pulp. He was ultimately hospitalized.

Passersbyers heard King's screams for help and called 911 while others began recording the assault. Eventually uniformed officers showed up. After discovering their mistake, the undercover officers demanded that all recordings be deleted. Still, King, who wasn't wanted for anything, was still charged with felony crimes. The matter eventually went to court, where, not unexpectedly, none of the officers would testify against the three undercover officers. While the case was eventually dismissed, none of the officers were held accountable. In fact, attorneys for the state argued that the officers were "exempt" from having violated King's constitutional rights!

On June 6, 2019, in another case of mistaken identity, Los Angeles sheriff deputies shot 24 year old Ryan Twyman 34 times as he sat, unarmed, in his car with another individual. Just a few hours later, a 27 year black male was shot and killed by officers as he walked down the street. The officers maintained that the individual was "acting suspiciously". When officers approached he started to run. The officers gave chase and eventually shot and killed the unarmed man. In fact, on that day, there was a total of five shootings by officers, resulting in the deaths of all but one of the suspects. Of those four, none were directly involved in any crimes. None of the officers involved were charged. Unfortunately, this has become the norm and not the exception.

I know that's a terrible thing to say. But it's also true. In 2018, around 1000 individuals were killed by police (and about the same amount in 2017). Of that, 98 non-federal officers were accused of murder and arrested. Out of these 98 individuals, only 35 were convicted; typically of a lesser crime such as involuntary manslaughter or negligent murder. 22 were acquitted while ten were dismissed by the judge (one by a grand jury). 21 cases remain pending, and just three were ultimately found guilty.

As an aside, a study from 2016 conducted by the American Journal on Public Health reported that black males were nearly three times more likely to be killed by police officers in general compared to white males (in terms of raw numbers, there were more white male deaths than any other race. However, that's because white males made up a larger share of the total population). "Death by cop" is the seventh highest cause of death among black men under 30.

Native Americans were also three times more likely to be killed by law enforcement than whites males while Hispanics were twice as likely. Asians had the lowest percentage, but also the smallest population sample. Regardless, remember that taxpayers are the ones picking up the tab in each one of these cases, including settlements, which are often in the millions of dollars.

On March 13, 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky, undercover officers with Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) broke into an apartment using a "no knock" warrant with guns blazing. The officers claimed they were being shot at, and thus were responding with what they believed to be appropriate force. In the end, one individual, a male, was arrested and charged with attempted murder of a police officer and first degree assault, while another individual, a female, lay dead.

The officers were there to make a narcotics bust. They didn't identify themselves since this was an undercover operation. The problem, however, was that the officers had the wrong address. The man arrested by officers, Kenneth Walker, thought that their apartment was being broke into. The individual they shot and killed was a EMT employee who had been asleep in her bed. Her name was Breonna Taylor. She was just 26. She had been shot at least eight times. The officers had fired a total of approximately 25 rounds blindly into the house. Walker fired only a single round.

After realizing their mistake, the police clammed up, not releasing any information about the shooting to Ms. Taylor's family. It was a deliberate "tried and true" attempt to stall for as long as possible while trying to concoct a cover story to fed the victim's family and the media. Fortunately for the police, there were no body cameras or recordings since this was an undercover operation. As for the real suspect, he was found some ten miles away. At this juncture, the police have been slowly releasing information, albeit with contradictory statements. Certainly there will be an internal investigation, which is usually an effort to justify the action of officers and create a credible sounding scenario of events.

The matter will likely go to trial where, if it follows the usual pattern, every effort to shift the blame will be made. If past cases are any indication, the officers involved will get off with little more than a reprimand or they'll be "encouraged" to resign from the force with full benefits. Meanwhile, any settlements will be paid for by the residents of Jefferson County. It will likely include a non-disclosure agreement, which is a shame. Why? Well, if we are the ones paying for these screw-up's, then we deserve to know the full details wouldn't you agree?

The only upside of this tragedy is that the long embattled police chief, Steve Conrad, finally agreed to step down. However, rather than being fired as many throughout the community (including the FOP) had been demanding for years, he is retiring, which means he'll get full benefits courtesy of Louisville taxpayers. Conrad has a long track record of controversy. He mismanaged $6.2 million dollars in emergency funding (it was suppose to last six months. It lasted barely six weeks). There was the Explorer Scout sexual molestation debacle by police officers which he tried to sweep under the rug.

There has been numerous instances of police abuse or inattention which were covered up or excused, not to mention misuse of overtime, resulting in the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years among many other incidents. He long ago lost the respect of the community, his fellow officers as well as the FOP, which in 2016 gave a 98% "no confidence" vote in Conrad's leadership, followed by a "no confidence" vote by the Metro Council in 2017.

Conrad failed repeatedly in creating a transparent police department or rebuilding public trust after his predecessor, Robert White left the LMPD in shambles. In short, Steve Conrad has been an embarrassment to Louisville along with his boss, Mayor Greg Fischer, who has done nothing but cover for him at our expense. Was it worth it to Breonna Taylor, the Explorer Scouts, and all the others?

There's no question that crime is on the rise. "No knock" warrants have their place. Originally, they were intended for those rare and exceptional cases where the lives of officers would be put in extraordinary danger and there was no other way to safely execute a search. Nowadays, "no knock" warrants are almost routinely issued; an average of approximately 20,000 a year. Also, there are no provisions to record what happens during these type of raids, and there should be. If, for no other reason, than to safe guard the rights of every citizen in this country whether they are accused of a crime or not.

Secondly, we see too many cases where the police engage in a "shoot first lawyer up later" mentality. Part of this is the pressure police officers are under. It's a dangerous world out there and respect for the law or law enforcement is in short supply. The "bad guys" are often better armed and more willing to shoot cops than ever before. Gang members from south of the border face far worse conditions in their prisons than ours, which are seen as "resorts" and the death penalty is rare, so they have little to fear.

Another part of the problem is police militarization. They're dressed equipped like the military. They are frequently trained like the military. Their thinking is geared along military lines as are their operations. Is it any wonder they are acting like the military? Their motto, "protect and serve" is now "control and maintain". The public is viewed as criminals who haven't been caught...yet. When those you're suppose to serve are seen as part of the problem, it's not long before trust on both sides vanishes.

We also have to add a failure of leadership to lead; a failure to take responsibility. They should openly invite the public spotlight, not hide from it. Officers should be trained to use deadly force last, not first. That includes not just in the use of weapons, but also physically. Once they undertake any step to detain or arrest someone, they are by definition taking charge of that person which includes insuring their safety. It's also imperative that everyone understands that running from cops or assaulting one is a bad idea. It's not a game. Regardless of what you did or didn't do, you must follow the officer's instructions and don't mouth off. It's better to speak up in court than having someone speak at your funeral.

While there's a natural bond between law enforcement and the judicial system, a conspiracy, implied or not, to obscure or distort the facts cannot be allowed to exist. When police officers or judges mess up (and they do just like anyone else), they must be fully held responsible for their actions in the most transparent way possible. Because they are held to a higher standard, there cannot be the slightest hint of impropriety else the whole social system, which is ultimately based on faith and trust, collapses.

That is what we're seeing right now. The American People have lost faith in their institutions. They no longer trust the politicians, the media, the school system, corporations, or even in religious institutions. Nevertheless, we are first and foremost a nation of laws, which are applicable to everyone equally without regard to race, class, religion, or any other criteria. When we cease having faith in those laws and how they are applied, then there is nothing left to hold us together. When that happens, we lose not just our nation, but our identity as Americans as well. For more information, be sure to check out our links below.



Mayor: Officer who put knee on man's neck should be charged


Police officer convicted of fatal shootings are the exception, not the rule


Black men nearly 3 times as likely to die from police use of force, study says

After Police Brutally Beat And Hospitalized James King, The Government Closed Ranks And Is Using A Legal Shell Game To Avoid Accountability

Los Angeles officers shot at Ryan Twyman 34 times. He was one of four killed that day


Louisville police conducting a drug bust charged into Breonna Taylor's house and shot her eight times. Her family says they were at the wrong address


Getting killed by police is a leading cause of death for young black men in America