Tag: Derek Chauvin

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School Rejects LGBTQ Grant For Safe Space + More News

Some news items you might have missed: • LGBTQ Nation: The school board in Lynchburg, Virginia has rejected a $10,000 grant from the It Gets Better Foundation (intended to create a “quiet room” at the school) calling the award a Trojan horse to lure school children into a “wicked lifestyle.” Students begged the board to approve the safe space. Continue reading “School Rejects LGBTQ Grant For Safe Space + More News”

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News Round-Up: December 13, 2021

U.S. flag and Pride flag

Catching up on the day’s headlines: • Human Rights Campaign: A new report based on the United States Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey said 8% of respondents identified as LGBTQ. Another 2% said their sexual orientation is something other than gay, lesbian, bisexual, or straight. Continue reading “News Round-Up: December 13, 2021”

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Derek Chauvin Sentenced To 22.5 Years In Prison In George Floyd Murder

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison after being found guilty of second degree murder, third degree murder and manslaughter. From Mother Jones:

In Minnesota, the maximum sentence for unintentional second-degree murder — Chauvin’s most serious crime — is 40 years, but the recommended sentence for people with no prior criminal record is 12.5 years. Judge Peter Cahill said on Friday that he added 10 years to the presumptive sentence “based on your abuse of a position of trust and authority, and also the particular cruelty shown to George Floyd.”

With good behavior, Chauvin, 45, could be paroled after serving two-thirds of his sentence, or about 15 years. Prosecutors had asked for a 30 year sentence, and Chauvin’s attorney asked for probation and time served. It’s worth remembering that Chauvin tortured Floyd to death, in public, in front of children. People are sentenced to life in prison for far less. Here’s the sentencing by the judge as well as the statement Chauvin made today:

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4 Ex-Cops Indicted By Federal Grand Jury In George Floyd Case

George Floyd, handcuffed on the ground as Officer Derek Chauvin kneels on his neck
All four former Minneapolis police officers involved in the detaining and eventual death of George Floyd have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of violating Floyd’s civil rights. From the New York Times:

The indictment charges Mr. Chauvin, 45, and other former Minneapolis Police Department officers Tou Thao, 35, J. Alexander Kueng, 27, and Thomas Lane, 38, with willfully depriving Mr. Floyd of his constitutional civil rights during his arrest.

The indictment alleges that by holding his left knee across Mr. Floyd’s neck and his right knee on his back and arm as he lay on the ground, handcuffed and unresisting, Mr. Chauvin used unconstitutional, unreasonable force that resulted in Mr. Floyd’s death.

Mr. Thao and Mr. Kueng were charged with willfully failing to stop Mr. Chauvin from using unreasonable force. All four defendants saw Mr. Floyd lying on the ground in need of medical care and willfully failed to aid him, depriving him of his constitutional right not to be deprived of liberty without due process of law, which included Mr. Floyd’s right to be free from an officer’s deliberate indifference to serious medical needs, the indictment said.

Chauvin, who was found guilty on state charges of murder and manslaughter in regard to the incident, was also indicted for another incident involving a 14-year-old boy in 2017. Chauvin reportedly held the teen by the neck and beat him on the head with a flashlight before holding the teen down with his knee on his neck while handcuffed face down on the ground. Sound familiar? Thao, Kueng, and Lane still face state charges in the Floyd incident with the trial scheduled for August.

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Derek Chauvin Found Guilty On All Charges

Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer has been convicted of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd. Chauvin was captured on video last May kneeling on the neck of Floyd during the course of an arrest until he lost consciousness and died. From the New York Times:

After deliberating for about 10 hours over two days following an emotional trial that lasted three weeks, the jury found Mr. Chauvin, who is white, guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter for the killing of Mr. Floyd, a Black man, on a street corner last year on Memorial Day.

Mr. Chauvin faces up to 40 years in prison when he is sentenced in the coming weeks but is likely to receive far less time. The presumptive sentence for second-degree murder is 12.5 years, according to Minnesota’s sentencing guidelines, although the state has asked for a higher sentence.

Read the full article here. Derrick Johnson, CEO and president of the NAACP, issued this statement:

“While justice landed Derek Chauvin behind bars for killing George Floyd, no amount of justice will bring Gianna’s father back. The same way a reasonable police officer would never suffocate an unarmed man to death, a reasonable justice system would recognize its roots in white supremacy and end qualified immunity. Police are here to protect, not lynch. We will not rest until all in our community have the right to breathe.”

#Justice

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Verdict Reached In Derek Chauvin Trial

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin (screen capture)
The jury in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is charged with manslaughter and murder charges for the death of George Floyd, has reached a verdict in less than a day. The verdict will be read at 4:30 pm ET. From NBC News:

The panel of seven women and five men began deliberating Monday after three weeks of witness testimony.

Chauvin is charged with second- and third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The third-degree murder charge had initially been dismissed, but it was reinstated after an appeals court ruling in an unrelated case established new grounds for it days before jury selection started.

Second-degree murder carries a maximum sentence of 40 years. Third-degree murder carries a maximum sentence of 25 years. Second-degree manslaughter is punishable by up to 10 years.

Chauvin, who is white, knelt on Floyd’s neck for several minutes as Floyd, who was Black, was handcuffed and lying on the ground.

During the trial, prosecutors called 38 witnesses. The defense called seven witnesses, two of whom were experts.

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News Round-Up: April 19, 2021

Kara 'Karen' Bell refused to identify herself to officers after refusing to wear a face mask in a Nordstrom Rack

Michael Cimino in 'Love, Victor'
Michael Cimino in ‘Love, Victor’ (image via Hulu)
Some news items you might have missed: • Instinct Magazine: The show runners for the Hulu series Love, Victor starring Michael Cimino (above) say the second season (arriving June 11) will age up a bit in terms of content with an ‘edgier’ sense of humor. • New York Times: The iconic Village Voice is back on news stands for the first time since its shutdown in 2018.

• KVUE: Lake Travis ISD School Board candidate Kara Bell (photo) was given an assault citation last week after a confrontation with a store employee at Nordstrom Rack when Bell refused to put on a mask upon entry of the store. As you can see in the police body cam video, Bell refused to ID herself even though she was being detained announcing, “”I am a Christian woman of God.”

• Kenneth-in-the-212: In his new feature, Kenneth puts the focus on ‘man-spreaders’ and their ‘spread.’ • Washington Post: Capitol Police officer Brian D. Sicknick suffered two strokes and died of natural causes a day after he confronted rioters at the Jan. 6 insurrection, the District’s chief medical examiner has ruled. The ruling, released Monday, likely will make it difficult for prosecutors to pursue homicide charges in the officer’s death.

• CBS News: The jury has begun deliberations following closing arguments in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the fired Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd’s death. Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. • CNN: The Army is preparing to approve a request for DC National Guard forces to deploy as soon as Monday night if there is unrest in the wake of the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial. • MSN: A suspected poacher was trampled to death by a herd of elephants in South Africa’s Kruger National Park on Saturday. That’ll learn ’em.

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Derek Chauvin Invokes 5th Amendment Declining To Testify

Former police officer Derek Chauvin invoked his 5th Amendment right to not testify in his own defense

Former police officer Derek Chauvin invoked his 5th Amendment right to not testify in his own defense
Former police officer Derek Chauvin (screen capture)
Unsurprisingly, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin invoked his 5th Amendment right to not testify From the New York Times:

Nearing the end of the defense’s case, Mr. Chauvin’s lawyer, Eric J. Nelson, asked Mr. Chauvin whether he would like to testify in his own defense.

Mr. Nelson said he and Mr. Chauvin have had repeated conversations on the matter, including a “lengthy meeting” Wednesday night. Mr. Chauvin, who removed his mask to answer Mr. Nelson’s questions, chose to waive his right to testify.

The judge questioned Chauvin to make sure that he made his decision not to testify on his own in order to prevent any later claim that he was ill-advised by his defense. Testimony in the case has now concluded and closing arguments will be presented on Monday.

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Officer Charged In George Floyd Murder Seeks To Block Evidence Of Prior Neck Restraints

L-R George Floyd (screen capture), Derek Chauvin (mug shot)
The former police officer who held his knee on George Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds until Floyd lost consciousness and died is asking that evidence of prior use of similar restraints be blocked from being introduced by prosecutors. From the Washington Post:

Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who held his knee at George Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes and is now charged with his murder, has asked the judge in his case to block prosecutors from introducing evidence of his allegedly having used similar neck and body restraints on other suspects.

Chauvin’s lawyer argues in new court documents that his “use of force” in those cases was legal and cleared by police supervisors.

Prosecutors have said they want to cite eight incidents from Chauvin’s 19-year career as a Minneapolis police officer to show a pattern of excessive force and behavior similar to the Memorial Day encounter that left Floyd dead.

Prosecutors want to include four cases from 2014 to 2019 in which they claim Chauvin restrained suspects “beyond the point when such force was needed.”

Read more at the Washington Post.