The lawsuit against the white ex-police officer accused of the death of the black American George Floyd started on Monday. The trial is seen by Floyd’s family lawyer as “a referendum on justice and equality,” he said ahead of the hearing.
Shortly before the trial began, defenders and next of kin knelt in front of the courthouse and held 8 minutes and 46 seconds of silence, referring to the time when suspected officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck during his arrest.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump spoke of a groundbreaking trial: “The whole world is watching.” He called it a referendum on “how far the US has come in its quest for equality and justice for all”. According to him, the facts are simple: “What killed George Floyd was an overdose of excessive force.”
Chauvin is charged with murder and manslaughter. Floyd, 46, lost consciousness by the knee on his neck and did not survive the arrest. The May 2020 incident sparked protests against police brutality and racism in the United States and beyond.
‘Chauvin has betrayed his police badge’
The lawsuit itself started with the prosecution’s argument, who stated that Chauvin “betrayed” his police badge. Later in the trial, twelve jurors have to make a judgment on the guilt question.
That jury consists of a group of people who are as representative as possible, who should not have a biased opinion about the trial. And that is precisely the difficulty, wrote American media as CNN, who in their previews wondered how to get the jury to meet this condition in a case that caused so much worldwide impact.
Chauvin’s lawyers are expected to emphasize the cause of death at trial. They will point out the victim’s ill health and drug use. Floyd was arrested for allegedly issuing a counterfeit $ 20 note. Prosecutors state that Floyd would not have died without the cop’s brutal action.
Chauvin himself was released in October on bail of $ 1 million (about 850,000 euros). The trial will take a month, the judge expects.
Three of Chauvin’s colleagues have been charged separately for Floyd’s fatal arrest. That lawsuit will begin in August.
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