Currents News Staff
The arrest of George Floyd was caught on video – moaning on the ground – in handcuffs with an officer’s knee on his neck. Witnesses could be heard pleading with police.
About five minutes into the video Floyd stops moving, but the officer’s knee remains on his neck as another officer stands by. The 46-year-old died later at the hospital.
The cops say they were responding to an alleged forgery in progress on Monday and that Floyd physically resisted, so they placed him under arrest.
Protests have been intensifying in the city. Thousands flooded the streets on Tuesday, with police throwing tear gas and non-lethal projectiles to disperse the crowds.
The four police officers involved have been fired, a decision the mayor of Minneapolis supports.
“For five minutes…when you hear someone calling for help, you are supposed to help – this officer failed in the most basic human sense,” said Mayor Jacob Frey.
Floyd’s family wants the officers charged with murder.
“They treated him worse than they treat animals. They took a life now they deserve life. I don’t feel sorry for them. They hurt me and they hurt my family,” said Philonese Floyd, George Floyd’s Brother.
Floyd’s cousin, Tera Brown, said “They were supposed to be there to serve and protect. And I didn’t see a single one of them lift a finger to do anything to help. While he was begging for his life. Not one of them tried to do anything to help him. That I didn’t see. What I did see was murder.”