L
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EGACY
STANDING TOGETHER IN THE NAME OF JUSTICE
Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow.
WEDNESDAYS • June 10, 2020
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Justice for George Floyd continues
The LEGACY
2 • June 10, 2020
Murder charges filed against all four officers in Floyd’s death Wire Report Authorities have upgraded murder charges against the former Minneapolis police officer who pinned George Floyd to the ground by his neck, while charging three other former officers who were at the scene with aiding and abetting the killing. The charges carry maximum sentences of as many as 40 years for all four officers, according to recently released criminal complaints.
But the arrests did little to deter consistent nationwide protests in the wake of Floyd’s death or to quell calls for fundamental changes to policing. The charges only deepened demands in Minneapolis to overhaul the embattled police department or abolish it altogether. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison acknowledged the uphill battle in prosecuting murder charges against police officers, who rarely are convicted of on-duty killings, but said he is confident that the facts of
the case support the charges. “George Floyd mattered. He was loved. His family was important. His life had value,” Ellison said in announcing the new charges. “We will seek justice for him and for you, and we will find it.” Derek Chauvin, the 44-year-old white officer who was captured on video kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes as the black man pleaded for air, now faces a charge of second-degree murder, in addition to the third-degree murder charge officials previously filed.
Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng, who were fired along with Chauvin in the wake of the incident, face charges of felony aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Their charges carry the same potential sentences as Chauvin’s, including a maximum 40-year prison sentence for second-degree murder. Bail for all four was set at $1 million.
(continued on page 3)
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June 10, 2020 • 3
(from page 2)
From left, ex-officers Derek Chauvin, Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane
Floyd’s family had repeatedly called for the arrests of the other three officers involved in the encounter outside the Cup Foods corner store, which began when the 46-year-old father and security guard was accused of using a counterfeit $20 bill. In a statement released through its attorney, the family called news of the charges “bittersweet” and expressed gratitude that Ellison “took decisive action in this case.” “This is a significant step forward on the road to justice, and we are gratified that this important action was brought before George Floyd’s body was laid to rest,” the statement said. “That is a source of peace for George’s family in this painful time.” Ellison pushed back on suggestions that public pressure factored into his charging decisions. But he acknowledged that punishing those involved could not fix the systemic racism that has long plagued the country and fueled protests from coast to coast. “I don’t believe one successful prosecution can reflect the hurt and loss that people feel,” he said. He urged citizens, activists and leaders
in government and faith communities to “begin rewriting the rules for a just society now,” as the criminal case pends. In footage of the encounter between Floyd and the four officers, Lane and Kueng helped Chauvin hold down the handcuffed man, leaning on his back and legs, while Thao stood watch as an increasingly distraught crowd of onlookers protested that Floyd could not breathe. Lane at least twice asked if Floyd should be rolled to his side, a suggestion that Chauvin rebuffed, according to court records. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner released a full autopsy report finding Floyd’s death to be a homicide — agreeing in broad strokes with an independent autopsy commissioned by Floyd’s family, who had said they did not trust authorities’ findings. Records released by the Minneapolis Police Department show that Chauvin had at least 17 conduct complaints filed against him throughout his 19-year tenure. All were closed without discipline except for two, which were sustained and resulted in letters of reprimand.
(continued on page 4)
4 • June 10, 2020
Op/Ed & Letters
The LEGACY
Still so much to be done The citizens of this country are in the midst of a battle that we have been fighting for a very long time. A battle of racial inequality, systemic abuse, and injustice. Across the nation over the past weeks, protesters are saying they have had enough. They are weary of the ongoing struggle for equality and equity, of the battle against systemic injustice, and the fear of being a person of color in America. The horrific, needless death of George Floyd on May 25 at the hands of four police officers in Minneapolis is tragically all too familiar. It is shocking that in 2020, mothers in African American and minority communities still have to worry about the safety of their sons and daughters when simply going off to the store, going out for a jog and or being stopped at a traffic light. Generations of misery George Floyd is sadly one of many, many African Americans who have been the victim of racial profiling and brutality. The larger tragedy of our society is that this criminal activity did not start with Mr. Floyd. Or with Breona Taylor or Tony McDade, who also lost their lives in the past month for similar reasons. Nor did it start with Eric Garner, killed in 2014 due to a police strangle hold — or Rodney King’s brutal beating in 1991. The names and stories stretch back generations and are part of the ongoing racial disparity and injustice that permeates our system. A product of 400 years of oppression, prejudice and fear.
How many stories like George Floyd’s must we hear? How many lives cut tragically, brutally short? At the UAW, we have been fighting for generations against systemic racism. Think back to August 28, 1968, when more than 200,000 demonstrators took part in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in the nation’s capital. Two men participating in that march — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and UAW President Walter Reuther — were dedicated to breaking the color lines and fighting for equality in wages, opportunities, housing, healthcare and fair societal treatment. PASSED and ENFORCED. And while I do not want to vilify all men and women in blue — we cannot not turn away from the horror of George Floyd’s death. An American citizen begging for his life on an American city street for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. This is not an on-the-sidelines hurt for me. I am an African American man born in raised in the south and now living in an urban center, but I am speaking here as an American, as a union member, and I am speaking to all of us. As Americans, we need to serve a warning to all who have the power — our representatives, our law enforcement officers, our leaders, our detractors — we are watching. And we are all committed to the safety and personal rights of ALL Americans.— Ray Curry, SecretaryTreasurer, UAW
The LEGACY NEWSPAPER Vol. 6 No. 24
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(from page 3) He was involved in at least three shooting incidents, including one in 2006 in which he and five other officers fatally shot Wayne Reyes, a stabbing suspect. In two of the cases, he received medals of valor or commendation from the department, according to his personnel file. Thao, 34, had faced at least six conduct complaints, all closed without discipline except for one still active at the time of his firing. In 2017, he was the subject of a civil rights lawsuit alleging that he and another officer beat a man they were arresting. The city settled the case for $25,000.
Kueng, 26, and Lane, 37, were rookies in the department, both receiving their law enforcement license in August. Neither had a history of complaints. Charges against officers are rare, and convictions even rarer. Since 2005, 110 nonfederal law enforcement officers in the United States have been arrested for murder or manslaughter for shooting someone on duty, according to a tally kept by Philip Stinson, a Bowling Green State University professor. From those ranks, five have been convicted of murder, five of homicide and another 22 of manslaughter.
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June 10, 2020• 5
P.T. Hoffsteader, Esq.
Virginia: Open with care. COVID-19 isn’t over. We’re making progress, but we can’t leave behind all the safety measures we’ve been taking. They’re working! That’s why, when you visit your local stores, restaurants, and places of worship, they’ll only allow in half as many people as before. And they need all of us to do our part to keep them safe. Please continue to:
6 ft.
Wear a mask in public.
Stay 6 feet away. from others.
Wash your hands often.
More at vdh.virginia.gov, or call 2-1-1 for help with food, shelter or safety.
Get tested if you’re sick!
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