George Floyd’s “Legacy” Was Crime

(Fred Weinberg) – Did former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin properly handle George Floyd’s arrest?

No. (In my humble opinion.)

Did he commit murder?

Probably not. (Again, in my humble opinion.)

Here are the facts.  George Floyd was a criminal.  He moved to Minneapolis from Houston having served four years in prison after accepting a plea bargain for a 2007 aggravated robbery in a home invasion.  He had a high level of Fentanyl in his system as well as methamphetamine.  He resisted arrest.

This is not a poster boy for an innocent black man who was profiled by the police.

In point of fact, the police were called because Floyd passed a counterfeit $20 bill at a local food store.  Floyd resisted arrest.

Now, while none of those individual offenses merit a death penalty, neither do they scream law abiding citizen having a bad day.

And the death of that individual—no matter what a moron like Maxine Waters might dribble out of her undereducated mouth—does not justify a riot.

Was the arrest pretty?  No.

But ask yourself this:  What would have been a better response?  Oh gee Mr. Floyd.  We’ll just overlook your criminal record, your resisting arrest and let it go?

But for Mr. Floyd’s own actions, he would be sitting in jail, alive, today.

Elected prosecutors charged the police officer with two different counts of murder.

They almost always overcharge in these situations.  At best, the officer committed conduct unbecoming an officer.  Even though the jury found Chauvin guilty of all charges,  I’m guessing the people who are itching to riot will. And the response from authorities will be fairly lame.

I’ll suggest what was certainly NOT even close to being justified—the $27-million payday Floyd’s family got from the city of Minneapolis.  The family had a criminal in its midst, he gets himself killed by being a criminal and the family gets a huge payday?  And in the middle of the trial of the officer involved?

How does that work?  Do you think that the City of Minneapolis is going to get what it deserves?

If there is a California or New York style exodus from Minneapolis would you be surprised?

What do you expect from a group of voters who elect people like Ilhan Omar to Congress and embrace “defund the police” as a solution for the ills of society?

And then there is our barely functional President who at least waited for the jury to be sequestered before he said he is, “praying for the right verdict” because the evidence against Chauvin is “overwhelming”.

I’m sorry, but every time a black criminal is killed resisting arrest is not an excuse for a riot.

If that sentiment makes me a racist, then so be it.

That will be Mr. Racist to you.