George Floyd Trends As His Killer Derek Chauvin’s Murder Trial Begins

May to June 2020 saw America’s biggest protest as residents trooped out in their numbers to demand justice for George Floyd, an African-American who was killed by some Minneapolis cops and 26-year-old Breonna Taylor who was killed on March 13 in Louisville’s West End.
Almost a year later after his death, the trial of Derek Chauvin, the Police officer who knelt on George Floyd’s neck has begun and the 46-year-old truck driver, security guard and rapper’s name is trending.
As the trial resumed, one of the statements that protesters as well as many other found annoying and disgusting is the reportage which says George Floyd is undergoing trial. This is as a result of the defence counsel raising charges of drugs against the deceased.
“Derek Chauvin is the one who is on trial.  He is the one who murdered George Floyd. The defense counsel spent their opening statement criminalizing George Floyd. George Floyd is the victim. He’s not the one on trial. They do this every time. Disgusting”, Linda Sarsour, a political activist said in a tweet.
In its opening statements, prosecuting attorney Jerry Blackwell repeatedly emphasized that the former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on George Floyd for 9 minutes and 29 seconds, and not the 8:46 timing new 9:29 timing reported. Telling jurors they were the “three most important numbers in this case, Blackwell e broke down the timing of Chauvin’s kneeling into three sections – 4 minutes and 45 seconds as Floyd cried out for help, 53 seconds as Floyd’s flailed due to seizures and 3 minutes and 51 seconds as Floyd was non-responsive.
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The Prosecution panel, also had a witness, Jena Scurry, a 911 dispatcher who watched police pin George Floyd to the ground on a surveillance camera. According to Jena, the restraint Derek Chauvin made on George Floyd went on for so long she thought her screen had frozen. “She testified that she grew so concerned that she called a police sergeant”, New York Times reported.
“Protesters, including Democratic members of Congress, have held moments of silence for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, kneelings and “die-ins.” Comedian Dave Chappelle released a standup special about police violence and anti-Black racism titled simply “8:46.” The number even has its own Wikipedia page”, CNN reported.
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The media further said that a few minutes before the trial began on Monday, members of George Floyd’s family and allies, including Rev. Al Sharpton and attorney Benjamin Crump, went down on one knee for 8:46 to commemorate his death.Photos Credit: Getty