Politics
Minnesota GOP Sparks Outrage With Derek Chauvin Tribute Days After George Floyd Anniversary
Just days after the anniversary of George Floyd‘s death, the Minnesota Republican Party came under fire after delegates at its state convention held a moment of silence for Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of Floyd’s 2020 murder.
According to an article from the Minnesota Reformer published on Saturday, May 30, State Rep. Danny Nadeau held a 10-second moment of silence for Chauvin, 50.
It didn’t take long for people on social media to express their outrage.
“Moment of silence for someone still alive?? That’s some performative bulls**t,” one person wrote via X.
Another added, “He MURDERED THIS MAN!!! When do we ‘honor ‘ MURDERERS?????”
A third person chimed in and said, “That’s a choice that will draw more heat than anything else. Whether it’s a statement or a provocation, the timing says a lot.”
On May 25, 2020, Floyd, who was Black, allegedly tried to use a counterfeit $20 bill, and Chauvin was one of the police officers who arrived on the scene. Floyd was sitting inside a car with two other individuals when law enforcement forcibly pulled him from the car.
Chauvin placed his knee on Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes while he was handcuffed and lying face down on the street.
Bodycam footage from the incident was released and Floyd could be heard saying multiple times that he “could not breathe,” according to a report from The New York Times.
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s report stated that his cause of death was from “cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression” and it was ruled a homicide.
Chauvin was fired from the police force and in 2021, he was convicted on charges of second degree murder, third degree murder and second degree manslaughter. A judge sentenced him to 22.5 years in prison.
