The Trial Of Derek Chauvin: What Happened So Far

Almost one year ago, on May 25th, 2020, an incident happened that will soon become the main reason for protests across the U.S. And that was the killing of African American man George Perry Floyd Jr.

You might be asking: “Now, wait a minute, why should I care about this at all?” Well, since Floyd got killed by the former police officer Derek Michael Chauvin, who’s white, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, there has been a spark in Black Lives Matter protests not only in the U.S. but globally. Anyway, here’s the rest of the story. Floyd had gotten arrested after a store clerk alleged he gave a counterfeit $20 bill. Chauvin knelt on his neck, and Floyd told Chauvin and three other officers that he couldn’t breathe, which later became a chant for the protests. However, the officer continued to stay in that position for 9 minutes and 29 seconds.

A murder trial for Chauvin started on March 8th, with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter charges. A lesser third-degree murder charge got dropped by Judge Peter Cahill but denied the defendant to dismiss the two other charges.

Days ago, the prosecution and the defense had been arguing over what Floyd said. The prosecution wants to prove that Floyd said, “I ain’t do no drugs,” since that would mean that asphyxia resulted in the man’s death, not drugs. The defense was trying to prove the opposite, that other factors, drug use and such, made that happen.

But in the opinion of the chief editor of New News, Tigger, that isn’t so important. “They’re trying to figure out what Floyd did, but this is a trial with the State of Minnesota versus former officer Chauvin. It’s not about what Floyd did. It’s about what Chauvin did right or not, and that’s what’s important. So far, at least four police officers have testified, including Minneapolis police chief Medaria Arradondo. Experts also testified with police officers that Chauvin used “excessive force.” The chief’s testimony is critical as the prosecution establishes that Chauvin’s actions were contrary to department training. Heart disease and use of fentanyl were contributing factors in Floyd’s death, but were not the direct cause, testified Dr. Andrew Baker, who performed the autopsy. And that, to me, is the most important part of the trial: Why Floyd died. So arguing on other things is just a waste of time.”

He hopes that, like him, you can think about which is the right thing to argue in the trial. Chauvin’s actions, or Floyd’s? That you need to think about yourself. As of now, there still isn’t a judgment on this trial, and it might be a bit frustrating to wait. However, be patient if you want an answer, no matter what topic it is. Remember, some cases, such as the Long Island Serial Killer, have gone on for decades without solving. But hopefully, no one has to wait that long. That is a production of the New News Newsminute, which is now a weekly edition. Thank you, and tune in next time for more updates on what’s happening around the globe.