George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis Police is a tragedy that continues a long pattern of police violence against Black people in this city. Healing will be long and difficult, and it must end with a total re-imagining of public safety in our communities.
Every time another Black person is murdered by the police, it’s easy to point to a single officer as the culprit. George Floyd was killed under the knee of officer Derek Chauvin — we saw it ourselves.
In the wake of the killing of George Floyd, we are seeing a massive popular political realignment around the role and scope of policing in the United States, led by Black organizers and Black-led movement groups.
Early this year, Detroit police arrested Robert Williams — a Black man living in a Detroit suburb — on his front lawn in front of his wife and two little daughters (ages 2 and 5). Robert was hauled off and locked up for nearly 30 hours. His crime?
If there were ever a moment for police body cameras to prove their worth, this month’s protests against police violence should be it.
This piece was originally published in Slate.
In the wake of nationwide protests in response to the police killing of George Floyd, many people are hearing the phrase “defund the police” for the first time. Watch us to break down the data, debunk the myths, and imagine real alternatives to our racist, militarized system of modern policing.