Let’s have an unbiased look at what has occurred in Minneapolis!
It is very apparent that what likely killed Mr Floyd was what is referred to as positional asphyxiation!
A restriction of the airway or lungs by a force or pressure applied.
As a police officer I was horrified to see a police officer use the technique he did to “restrain” Mr Floyd!
Police officers across the globe are never trained to use any such method of restraint, in fact it is drummed into them no avoid it!
The fact that he not only used the method he did, but for 8-9 minutes is incomprehensible to me!
I also am dismayed and appalled that no fellow officers standing around did not intervene either!
Another point of fact is that the subject (Mr Floyd) was already restrained (handcuffed behind his back). Here is another issue, the man was handcuffed behind his back and put on his stomach, this in itself is a big no no, that in itself should have been identified as dangerous immediately. The subject was not resisting either.
Again police worldwide are taught to refrain from leaving anybody in this position.
Did the officer himself act in accordance with his training, definitely NO!
Did the officer consider the welfare of his prisoner, obviously not!
Did any other officer intervene and prevent the possible consequence, No.
In my view not just the officer applying the pressure to Mr Floyd’s neck have to be held to account, but a number of other officers also for failing to recognise the danger and intervene.
Police have a duty of care to any person in their custody, and there was obviously a complete failure of that duty of care.
Now for the community response.
If people will recall it took months for another minneapolis police officer to be charged over his conduct that resulted in the death of a civilian. I am referring to the shooting death of Justine Damond by Officer Mohamed Noor.
We did not see the mayhem and carnage we see now, there was no outcry over him not being charged ( months, not days later). Those that were outraged by the conduct of Noor did so peacefully and lawfully.
Only uninformed morons do not realise or consider that a person will not be charged until at least an initial investigation takes place and a brief of evidence has been formed. That is our justice system and rightfully so. It will take a number of days, bare minimum to at least have the initial evidence to charge somebody, police officer or civilian.
None of us should want or expect any person to be charged, especially a serious offence, simply because it is politically demanded. The separation of powers is an integral and necessary process in any just society and justice system. The fact that these riots are occurring and being justified simply because the officer was not yet charged, just a couple of days after the incident, is simply an excuse by those that wish to make the tragic death of a man a political and ideological issue.
There is and never should be any excuse or justification for the behaviour we are seeing in cities across America. There is NO excuse for destroying innocent people’s property, destroying and taking away their livelihoods. “ Because we want to be heard”, what a joke. All people engaging in this behaviour are nothing more than criminals. Mob mentality is savage, basic, uncompromising and usually deadly.
It appears we have not progressed any further thanthe days of the mob burning people At the stake.
The current situation in the US is simply a result of the sickness in society, we have all observed it, watched the slow degradation occurring, and the number one cause is social media. It has always been a cancerous growth slowly consuming the human decency, the compassion, the human spirit of care for one another.
YES the Minneapolis police have a lot to be held to account for, and the officer in particular needs to be and will be held to account.
But DO NOT excuse the rioting, the looting and the destruction!
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