CHAPTER ONE THE DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD it was May 26 2020 Hundreds of people joined a protest in Minneapolis Minnesota People crowded into the streets Some held cardboard signs that read I can’t breathe Those were some of the last words said by a Black man named George Floyd On May 25 Floyd was arrested for allegedly using a fake 20 bill at a grocery store Four officers were involved in the arrest Their names were Derek Chauvin Thomas Lane J Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao During the arrest Floyd and Some protesters held signs with messages during the May 26 protest 5
PERSPECTIVES MAURICE LESTER HALL Maurice Lester Hall spent most of May 25 2020 with George Floyd He was a passenger in Floyd’s car when the police arrived Hall and Floyd were both from Houston Texas A pastor in Minneapolis introduced the two They became friends Hall considered Floyd a mentor He said Floyd did not resist arrest that night He was from the beginning trying in his humblest form to show he was not resisting I could hear him pleading Please officer what’s all this for Hall says he will always remember the fear he saw on his friend’s face when the police took him out of the car 6 the officers struggled Floyd was handcuffed The officers noted Floyd may have been having a medical emergency They tried to get Floyd into a squad car A while later Chauvin pulled Floyd out of the car Floyd fell to the ground Officer Chauvin a white man knelt on Floyd’s neck to restrain him for several minutes The officers called an ambulance During this time Floyd became unresponsive Floyd was later pronounced dead
People around the country made murals honoring George Floyd Bystanders recorded the event and shared it on social media The protesters walked to the precinct building where the officers had worked The people were angry that another Black person had died in police custody They demanded the officers be charged with crimes As evening approached a group of people broke away from the main crowd They smashed windows at the precinct building They spray painted the building They damaged a squad car The police responded to the growing violence A line of officers in riot gear approached A metal cannister landed on the ground 7
