In the American city of Minneapolis, thousands of people remembered the death of the black American George Floyd. Today the trial of Derek Chauvin, the agent against whom the most serious charges has been filed, begins in the city.
Floyd (46) was killed on May 25 last year during his arrest by four white officers. Now that the process is starting, extra security measures have been taken in and around the court. Shops and office buildings have been boarded up and concrete barricades have been erected around the court.
Thousands of agents and members of the National Guard are deployed to quell any unrest. “The fear is that in the event of an unwelcome testimony or the final verdict, violence will erupt in the city,” says NOS correspondent Marieke de Vries in the Dutch newspaper. NOS Radio 1 News. “That’s why Chauvin’s lawyer unsuccessfully wanted the trial to be held in a different city.”
Indictments
The officer pressed his knee into the neck of George Floyd for minutes last year, who indicated that he was unable to breathe and ultimately did not survive the arrest. Floyd was arrested after a report that he had paid with a counterfeit banknote. The images of the incident caused great commotion worldwide and sparked mass protests against racism and police brutality.
Chauvin is charged with premeditated murder and manslaughter. There may be a third charge: murder committed to harm others. The lawyers of Floyds relatives want to increase the chance of a conviction.
The three other officers involved in the arrest are suspected of complicity. They will be in court from 23 August. All four officers were fired the day after Floyd’s death.
At the Minneapolis rally, many protesters expressed fear that Chauvin would be acquitted. The agent was released on bail last fall after paying the $ 1 million bail. The three other officers have also been released on bail pending trial.
Objective jury
The first three weeks of the trial are devoted to the selection of the jury, which is composed of a group of random citizens. Both the prosecution and the defense have the right to refuse any candidate to the jury if they are biased.
“It’s hard to find an objective jury for a case that has triggered so much,” said De Vries, referring to the widespread protests that broke out after Floyd’s death. Judges have therefore had to answer a long list of questions, such as “how many times have you seen the footage of the incident?” and “did you participate in Black Lives Matter protests?”
It is expected that the substantive treatment will not start before March 29 and will last the entire month of April.