Protestors Assemble as the Trial of Former Officer Derek Chauvin Begins

Spring looms in Minneapolis after an isolated and challenging winter. Demonstrators took to the streets of Downtown Minneapolis to demand justice for the murder of George Floyd. The protestors were matched by a foreboding and undeniable presence of military equipment and various levels of barricades.

Bridgett Floyd urged people to emulate her brother’s kind and generous spirit after attending the morning court proceedings. 

“I sat in the courtroom today and looked at the officer who took my brother’s life,” she said. “I just really wanted that officer to know how much love Floyd had.” 

 As jury selection begins in the trial of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin for George Floyd’s murder, Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bill McCarthy issued the following statement:

“We have full confidence in Attorney General Ellison and his team to prosecute this case and to see that George Floyd’s family receives justice.

“We also support Minnesotans’ freedom to peacefully exercise their first amendment rights during the trial. George Floyd’s death and the subsequent show of force against peaceful protesters are still fresh in Minnesotans’ minds. We urge local authorities to better engage the community to both ensure security and protect free speech.

“As the trial moves forward, we should all remember that George Floyd should still be alive today and that we must work together to advance racial and economic justice so our communities, state, and nation can truly heal. The Minnesota AFL-CIO is committed to dismantling systems of oppression, explicitly white supremacy, and anti-blackness, and achieving intersectional race and economic justice in our organization, our local unions, our workplaces, and across our labor movement.

“As further efforts for more accountability from law enforcement and broader racial justice continue, Minnesota’s Labor Movement stands in solidarity with all people who are subjected to discrimination, oppression, indignity and inequity.”

This article from Slate returns to 38th and Chicago to capture the local mood. Yesterday Attorneys spent the day deliberating procedure. MINNEAPOLIS STAR-TRIBUNE

Filiberto Nolasco Gomez is a former union organizer and former editor of Minneapolis based Workday Minnesota, the first online labor news publication in the state. Filiberto focused on longform and investigative journalism. He has covered topics including prison labor, labor trafficking, and union fights in the Twin Cities.