Dozens of people gathered outside the Minnesota governor’s house on Saturday to demand that police be held accountable for their actions, days before the start of the trial of a former Minneapolis agent for the death of African American George Floyd .
Many of the approximately 150 people who demonstrated in Minnesota were relatives of others who died in incidents involving the police. Prior to Derek Chauvin’s trial, similar protests were staged in cities across the country.
Floyd died on May 25 after Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck while Floyd was handcuffed down and repeated that he couldn’t breathe. The time recorded on body camera video released by prosecutors shows that Chavin held his position for about nine minutes, even after Floyd stopped moving – who was pronounced dead in a hospital.
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Chauvin is charged with manslaughter and culpable death. The selection of the jury for his trial starts on Monday.
Saturday’s protest in Minnesota was organized by Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence, a coalition of families who lost loved ones in confrontations with police. Speakers said that in view of Floyd’s death, they want the cases of other incidents involving the police to be reopened and analyzed, the Star Tribune newspaper reported.