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Will the Chauvin Case be Another Rodney King Fallout?
Opening statements began today for the trial of Derek Chauvin, a former officer of the MPD who is being charged with the murder of George Flloyd’s death. The county medical examiner ruled the death a homicide by a combination of the police officer’s use of force, drugs, fentanyl and methamphetamine, in Mr. Floyd’s system and underlying health conditions. This trial is drawing strong connections to the Rodney King case where a jury acquitted four LAPD Officers in Mr. King’s filmed beating.
Rodney King Beating, 1992
It has been 30 years since the riots in Los Angeles captivated the world with the handheld home video camera footage of racially charged vigilante street justice. This was a time before social media and cell phones made sharing first hand accounts immediate and viral.
The beating recorded by George Holliday was a pivotal moment for our nation and showed the world race relations in the United States. The assumption was that the officers would be tried and convicted, but the nation watched as they were all acquitted. This led to L.A.’s 1992 Riots that destroyed many communities.
Akili, Los Angeles BLM organizer, said, “People couldn’t believe it. Because people want to believe in our justice system, we want to believe it will work. This was the first time that we could say, ‘I told you’ because there were all these incidents of LAPD’s beatings and killings that we’ve been telling people about for many years.”
Even after this 1992 case, demands for change have increased along with violence, rioting and looting.
More than 60 lives were lost with nearly 2500 injured and $700 million in damages in the Rodney King case. Also, the damage destroyed many communities and displaced a lot of hardworking business owners in the process. If the riots we saw at the end of 2020 are any indication of what we can expect, it isn’t too far of a jump to think we won’t see a similar fall out should Derek Chauvin be acquitted.
Defeat Will Not Go Well
It would be naive to think that the BLM movement would take a defeat of this magnitude quietly. We’ve already seen cities across the country burning in the wake of the incident. The Los Angeles riots resulted in $775 million in insurance claims while the BLM riot went across 20 states and cost the insurance industry up to $2 Billion.
The aftermath was tragic and unforgettable, to say the least. For those of us who watched the live footage from our TVs at home, we are reminded that this can and is likely to happen again. BLM riots have already occurred moments after the George Floyd video was released and this could rekindle the rioters and looters.
Can Derek Chauvin get a fair trial?
This is one of the first times in history where we as a nation will experience a sensational trial under the restrictions of the COVID Pandemic. Judge Peter Cahill began today’s session with clear instructions to the jurors. Also, it will be the state’s duty to ensure due process. Any failure to do so can result in a mistrial. In this case, we may see a similar reaction as an acquittal.
As emotions run high on both sides of the story, the question remains – can Chauvin get a fair trial?
It would be prudent to prepare for any outcome including one that includes riots, looting and violence. No two cases are alike, and unlike the Rodney King case, George Flloyd’s autopsy report showed drugs in his system including fentanyl and meth. The defense in the Derek Chauvin murder trial opening statement focused on George Floyd being under the influence and having heart issues already.
The similarities between both cases reside in the fact that the situation was caught in live time with video. Unlike the Rodney King video, there were many onlookers filming George Flloyd’s untimely death. The Rodney King case could have a part in shaping the outcomes of the Chauvin trial because of the many similarities of video and excessive force used by officers.
Whichever way the Chauvin trial goes, people who remember the Rodney King beating and trial all want to see society change and grow. Everyone should stay focused on the facts and not emotion. Former King Attorney Burris also urges everyone fighting for justice to focus on societal change and the trial unfolds.
Breaking News Alerts will keep you up to date with trial information as more information is made available.
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18 Comments
No when the American people stand against drugs violence against police and law and order.then this patter will keep pulling this country apart.because we are not going to join them .its time for the american people to stand up and fight this corruption in our society where the black crooks,thugs think they can out smart the law.then it goes on for the liberal ways.
Nobody is above the to include men and women who wear the Police uniform. As for this case I think they should make an example out this corrupt officer he killed him by not releasing the knee from that mans neck that was choke and officers were holding him down. I think all those officers should be charged.
You’d think the cops would have learned lessons from the Rodney King fallout but unfortunately, they continue to use excessive force and racial profile and shoot unarmed suspects. That’s because of their above the law mentality and inability to deescalate conflict. Some just don’t give a rat’s ass about anyone but themselves. Those are the ones that society is trying to weed out. Derek Chauvin is one of them. Sadly if he is acquitted of the murder that he committed in front of a crowd of concerned onlookers, that price will be paid by the state of Minnesota and will likely spread across this nation. Justice will not have been served and the faith of the people in the justice system will once again drop back to where it was during the Rodney King era. The justice system will have failed again and this time, there probably won’t be anything left to fight for.
As a resident of Minnesota, I would not be unhappy to see Minneapolis reduced to a smouldering ash heap under martial law and enjoying the full benefit of their liberalism. Should any of the “protesters” seek to expand the radius of their activities, they will find that the citizens outside the liberal enclave will be prepared to end their terrorism.
Chauvin deserves the death penalty. Eye for an eye. You take a life, you give yours for it.
Can’t we all just get along?
It seems to me that every time a Black person gets killed by a cop , all they know how to mourn the loss of one of their brothers , is to riot , loot , and burn down buildings. Maybe that is the savageness they get from the ancestors from Africa. I don’t see White people rioting , from when a cop shoots a White person. This is my opinion.
ANONYMOUS says:
March 31, 2021 at 1:03 AM
What restraint technique was in violation of the departmental rules?
george floyd would not have survived his self-administered drug overdose if he had been in the emergency room of a hospital.
Riots have absolutely NOTHING to do with the person. They are pure and simple robberies and arson felonies. It goes like this: “We need a new flat screen TV and beer for the football game. Go down and loot the electronics store and get the TV then set the grocery store on fire and get one of the baskets and fill it with beer. If you see an expensive purse get that for me as well.” You go to the grocery store to shop but they go to the grocery store to steal and burn it down.
George Floyd’s death was self-inflicted; he overdosed. Chauvin was doing his job. The consequences of GF’s poor choices and bad judgement decided his fate that day.
This is a bunch of crap. Those cops are heroes.
Floyd was just another waste of oxygen who got what was coming to him, after years of being a thug. His race does not enter into the action those cops took. His actions are what cost him his life.
Rioters and looters should be shot down like the mad dogs they are.
I for one am way past being sick and tired of letting 18 percent of our population dictate our law enforcement in the corrupt Left urban areas.
Thank you for allowing me to Express my opinion.
I agree absolutely. Active deadly force would stop these savages.
As I read the article and some of these comments it is clear that BLM and others (you know who you are) are pre-emptively threatening violence in the form of looting and rioting. They do this for the simple definition that they are only cowards. Cowards that have no values, no principals and no religion. David stood up and fought Goliath because he was a real man. David did not sneak in and loot Goliath’s home or steal his belongings. he challenged him and he killed him. So…BLM, learn from David, or Goliath will beat your ass into a puddle of mud and then stomp it dry. Just as in the Rodney King case if you are not in the courtroom, then how in the hell can you say justice was served one way or the other? OJ walked free but went on to show he too was just a criminal and ended up in jail anyway. So shut the FU and stand toe to toe or it it will get tagged.
Nobody cares about your church lessons. Go preach elsewhere.
STFU BallBuster. You are what’s wrong with this country. Hooyah Brother made a valid point. Or maybe you are one of them cowards too
Thought I’d come back and see if my bait caught any fish. Thank you, Frank for having my six and for you Ballbuster, I ain’t preaching. I’m giving you historical facts. Meet me on the battlefield and see what happens to you, you emasculated piece of milquetoast. Stand behind me and I will protect you, stand beside me and I will respect you….but stand in front of me and I WILL destroy you. Our country is in peril and I can tell BB that you never fought and defended your country. When the SHTF just know this….there are more than 18 million veterans in this country and every one of us is well trained and armed and will rise to defend America again. The only thing you need to do is get right with God but since you think that is preaching you better just go get right with your mama!
“The trial is drawing connections to the Rodney King Trial.” No, just this writer is. He’s not a journalist but an opinionated nobody.
If George had been in jail serving time for all the crimes he committed, he would be alive today. AMERICA needs to start making criminals “DO THEIR TIME” when they get caught. Police need to start shooting these dirt bags robbing stores and burning buildings and cars ect.