Transcripts For BBCNEWS George Floyd 20200619

For almost 25 years, on tonights panorama, ill be asking could all the soul searching now lead to change . Could George Floyds death finally force america to confront the scourge of racism within . Please. I cant breathe, officer. So today, we will be in the front of the march. And were not here to be hostile, were only here to be supporting the march, really. But if anything do pop off, we want to make sure they know were here to stand, all right . Its come to this. A major american city, where ordinary citizens have taken it upon themselves to police their own streets. This is minneapolis, in the heart of the mid west. Many African Americans here dont trust the citys police. Thanks for holding it down for the city, man. Thanks for holding it down for the city. Tyrone hartwell helps run this group the minnesota freedom riders. It was set up days after the death of george floyd. Dozens of people wanted to join. We have a ground team that respond and we have an air team, just to make sure that were all secure and all protected. We just want to make sure our people are safe. Today, theyre patrolling a march commemorating George Floyds death. The freedom riders say theyre afraid for their community. Hey, brother, you gotta go out. Thank you. Some black owned businesses in their neighbourhoods were attacked during the unrest after the killing. And the freedom riders believe it was caused by White Supremacists though that hasnt been proved. We all came together and said, listen, were not going to allow this in our community. Other minority groups in minneapolis latinos, native americans they have informal patrols too. Theyve all lost faith in the police. Weve allowed them to do theirjobs for years and every time we allow them to do theirjobs, another black man is dead. And not just a black man or black children or black women, we as a race, its like the war is against us. The open carrying of weapons handguns, semi automatic rifles is legal here, as it is in so many other parts of america. Not everyone in their neighbourhood approves, but the freedom riders insist theyre here to stay. I used to think that people would feel some type of way seeing us with big rifles. But a lot people have warmed up to it, a lot of people are like, hey, thank you for being a part of the community, thank you for protecting us. Protester george floyd we are lost, we are lost and im not saying we, us as a race, but us as a people, us as a world. Weve got to understand that we are a human race before we are a colour. These are people who say they have no option but to defend themselves, a consequence of events one warm monday evening exactly three weeks ago. Whats his name . George floyd George Floyds death that day in minneapolis, caught on camera, is a very Public Record of police inhumanity. With the help of people from the neighbourhood where he died, weve pieced together what happened. And it all started here at the cup Foods Grocery store. George came in our establishment maybe once or twice a week. George was a very bigger sized person. So he was an intimidating individual, but he was a very nice person. Mahmoud abumayyaleh is the owner of the store, but wasnt there on the evening of may 25th when its alleged george floyd and two friends attempted to pay for cigarettes with counterfeit 20 dollar bills. After mr floyd left the establishment, thats when the authorities were called. Here, across the road from the store, two shop assistants can be seen challenging the group. They call the police, claiming floyd is drunk. Later, it was discovered he had taken drugs. These cctv images from rashad wests restaurant then capture the police arriving. So, from what i see, theyre just talking through it with the people. To me theyrejust like, 0k, lets hurry this up and get this situation under control or handled, so they can carry on with their day. Another driver pulls up and films what happens next. George floyd is singled out, we dont know why, with two officers pulling him out of the drivers seat and handcuffing him. Hes then led across the road to a police car where officer Derek Chauvin and a colleague are waiting. What happens next is very distressing to watch. Donald williams was there and witnessed it all. Once i pulled up to the store, you know, iseen, erm, two. Two or three police cars. I was like uh, police are up here, must be somethings going on. A prosecutors report said george floyd told police he was claustrophobic, so didnt want to get into the car. But theres a struggle with the officers and he somehow ends up on the other side of the vehicle, on the ground. Floyd please. Please please, i cant breathe please, man, please one eyewitness films while crossing the road. The footage reveals Derek Chauvin and two other officers pinning floyd to the ground, applying pressure to his neck, chest and legs. Floyd i cant breathe, officer they will kill me they will kill me, man i noticed the position of how his knee is on George Floyds neck, that its actually cutting off the circulation of his breathing so he actually cant breathe. Youre a tough guy, youre a tough guy, huh . Hes not even resisting arrest. His whole nose is bleeding. Theyre, you know, verbally, you know. Verbally addressing him, verbally abusing him, he aint doing nothing. Why dont you just put him in the car . The officer, he looked at me in my eyes, he had no feeling, no heart, no nothing. Floyd i cant breathe, i cant breathe. Interaction with the police to what i was seeing about a man struggling or fighting with the cops and then getting killed. I was like, the two scenarios dont match up. Like a ju jitsu move, bro, youre trapping his breathing right there, bro. Right, you dont think thats what it is, bro . Once i said he was doing a blood choke, he just looked at me in my face and he put his head back down, he continued to do what he was doing. Derek chauvin keeps his knee on George Floyds neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. In minneapolis, officers were permitted to use neck restraints, but only if the suspect is actively resisting arrest. Its clear that wasnt the case with george floyd, whos handcuffed and says he cant breathe 16 times. It doesnt make sense. If you were to look at the video, you can see it for yourself. Because its. Its just so unjust. Its sickening. There are several people watching now. Some are filming. Despite this, Derek Chauvin continued to keep his knee pressed down on george floyd, even after they call for an ambulance. Police scanner ems required code 2. Hes bleeding from his mouth. Copy. Get off of his neck why are you still on him . A paramedic arrives and takes George Floyds pulse. He is now unconscious. Completely unresponsive. But chauvin continues the neck restraint for another minute. You just gonna let him keep his hand on his neck, bro . Right. Hes black, they dont care. An hour later, in hospital, george floyd is pronounced dead. I cant do nothing but grieve for george floyd and his family at this moment and let the world know his story and the unjustice that we have in this country towards African Americans. The world needs to understand whats really going on. I think if myself or one of the owners were here, we wouldnt have had to call the authorities. And calling the police on someone shouldnt equate to a death sentence. Minneapolis police has sacked all four officers. Derek chauvin has been charged with Second Degree murder. Three other officers have been charged with aiding and abetting murder. George floyds death is all the more shocking because it isjust the latest in an endless line of lives taken by violent cops. It is part of the black experience, an american tragedy. How best to bring change . The protests for justice after George Floyds death are the biggest in half a century. In minneapolis and elsewhere, the first few nights turned violent. And the police responded. A curfew was announced, and the National Guard deployed with the police. Police get inside. Light them up woman screams peace may now have returned to the city, but the protests continue. Fanta diallo was a University Student until last year. Racism in minnesota is subtle. Its micro aggressions and where are you from . In the two weeks after George Floyds death, she went to protests every day. And now she and her friends arejoining another. Protesters we are gun dying say it like you mean it we are gun dying. Its now a grim ritual the banner waving and calls forjustice, an all too familiar scene in a land where some lives have always been cheaper than others. The reason it hit the way it did was because george floyd died. And the thing is, this happens so many times. There are so many George Floyds who dont die. And were alljust like whatever about it. But we shouldnt even get to the point where a life is taken or where a Police Officer has their knee on the neck of someone. All chant hey hey, ho ho, these killer cops have got to go shut it down its a really weird experience to be in a crowd of people and have to yell that black lives matter when youre black. Because youre begging, youre literally begging, systems to believe that your life matters. I wanna take main street, basically. That would be dope. But we gotta cross the bridge, though. George floyds deaths been the catalyst for so many people to become activists. Former pro basketball player royce white has organised some of minneapolis biggest protests. When the video first came out, i was obviously angered, but as the days followed, it changed. It went from being, you know, outrage to being actionable, that something had to be done. We proved that we can protest in peace, despite all the stories that theyve shown on the news. Soon after contacting other former players, royce was leading many hundreds of people on a protest. Down a highway. We need of kind to transform the Police Department from the inside. Were absolutely going to keep marching. Theres no reason why we cant march out onto a freeway and stop it if we want to. Youre stopping other citizens from going about their daily life. Your life should be interrupted, because his is over. We dont think that this george floyd thing is over by a long shot. And through the nations turmoil, what of its leader . I am your president of law and order. Donald trump declared it a security crisis, raising the stakes with his demand that state governors dominate violent protesters. He conjured few words to salve racial wounds. If a city or state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then i will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them. And in washington dc, a crowd of Peaceful Protesters near the white house was forcibly dispersed, allowing mr trump to make his way to a church for a photo opportunity. It was a damning moment, not only for his presidency. It is an image that will last for a long time in american history. You have a president who has not been working to bring more americans together, and infact, dilute the flames around division, but about stoking those flames. The tragedy of George Floyds life and death is that it reflected the misfortune of a disproportionate number of black americans. Hed been successful in houstons hip hop scene, but spent time in prison for Armed Robbery and drug offences before moving to minneapolis to start a new life. But the recent lockdown meant he lost his job as a bouncer at a restaurant. At his memorial service, leading civil rights figures lamented black societys continued failure to be allowed to enjoy the american dream. What happened to floyd happens every day in every area of american life. Its time for us to stand up in georges name and say, get your knee off our necks. But is america finally listening . Many Blue Chip Companies have come out in support of the protests. The american football league, the nfl, has apologised for not listening to players who were protesting about racism. And the multi billion dollar stock car championships, nascar, has banned the flying of the Confederate Flag at race meetings seen by many as a symbol of americas slave past. I was gobsmacked that nascar said no more waving Confederate Flags. Its amazing. You know, Corporate America is behaving differently. If you had asked me if, if so many of these corporations would come out and say black lives matter, two months ago i would have said youre nuts. But there is one section of society that protesters say needs the most fundamental of overhauls policing. Donald williams, who tried to intervene on the day george floyd died, says many African Americans are simply tired of the everyday racism they face at the hands of the police. Im telling my son this since he was a young kid so he can understand. When it comes to the police, we talk a lot about understanding that hes a black male and that you are targeted as a black male, that you are not considered a human being. Americas police developed from the patrols that captured runaway slaves. Its the police that enforced segregation. They were the personification of white supremacy. And still today, African Americans are two and a half times more likely to die at the hands of a cop than whites. For too long, some forces have considered themselves separate from the communities they serve somehow for the people, but not of the people. I always said that most of the cops that minneapolis hire, the first time they saw a black person was on tv. Eric lukes served in the Minneapolis Police for 28 years until 2016. The other black officers, we knew about racism, we talked about racism. The white counterparts, some of em dont believe it existed. You know, they believed that theres no racism on the. On the Police Department. You know. They swept it under the table. Hes got no doubt the events of that day should not have happened. Ive used that knee on the neck several times. Ive used that technique basically as resisting arrest youve gotta handcuff somebody. The training is, control the head, you control the body. But eight minutes and 46 seconds, thats the big issue. The officer who knelt on George Floyds neck had faced 18 misconduct complaints in a 19 year career. The last police chief of minneapolis says she and others tried hard to transform the force, but powerful Police Unions resisted change. When you have Union Leadership who frankly have so many tools at their disposal to help officers get theirjobs back, they actually end up having more influence over culture than a police chief ever will. She wants national guidelines, better training and a reduction of union power. Frankly, i would have a line of officers and say, i first and foremost need you to denounce the actions of the officers that killed george floyd. If you can do that, you go here. If not, turn in your badge, you go there. Im ok with that. The city council now says it wants to dismantle this 800 strong force, with money diverted to Mental Health and other services. A so called Community Led Public Safety system is proposed. Do you believe this could be a turning point, notjust in policing, but the debate over racism in america . I do. The right people are having conversations and understanding that this is not the black and brown issue to fix. This is for the rest of us who have power that should be making those changes. It is a fact of life that when you think about it, while racism is a black issue, its actually a white problem. Good morning, wisconsin, youre listening to news radio 620, wtmj, im charlie skyes. Charlie sykes is a dyed in the wool conservative and republican, though not a supporter of donald trump. I first met him four years ago. And now after George Floyds death, his outlook on the police has been transformed. I mean, i have been stopped by the police for a variety of things, you know. Mainly, you know things like, you know, not having my tail light on, or speeding. I never once thought the Police Officer was going to throw me to the ground and handcuff me. Did you need to see it, charlie . Did you need this kind of thing to perhaps make you understand what African Americans have been talking about for decade after decade after decade . Unfortunately, yes, yes, i did. If youre a White American, you might think, ok, this happens, but its random, its a few bad apples here and there. But i think what youve been seeing over the last couple of weeks is the, the recognition that its not just a few bad apples. It is systemic, its incredibly widespread and that, that this, you know, this situation, in fact, weve been in denial on it. What has been so striking and unprecedented about the George Floyd Protests is the number of White Americans taking to the streets. People who saw him die, and now feel moved to act. I think back to the 80s. My friends were dating black men. And it was like, race doesnt matter any more. And i was so pleased with us and thought we had really solved this big problem. Penny sitz lives in one of minneapoliss comfortable suburbs. What has surprised me in the past week has been seeing how widespread the abuse is and the brutality is. This is something i had no idea about. I knew it happened in a few big cities. But i did not think it was as widespread as it is. Protesters People United will never be defeated. Two weeks ago, for the first time in her life, shejoined a protest with herfamily. There was no good reason not to stand up for this. It is the time to speak out. I feel like, just like we learnt with these Police Officers, that silence is complicit. I feel like my silence is complicit. She and her daughter proclaim their allegiance. But for penny, thats not enough she now agrees policing needs an overhaul. We absolutely cannot go back to just doing things the way we have done them and say that we need more training. It is not about more training, because it doesnt happen to white men. It doesnt happen to white men. Why wouldnt it happen to white men . Not everyone in minneapolis agrees. Mike lehman once stood locally for the republican party. I do not believe minneapolis has a racism problem. I believe a few individuals in the Police Department may have biases, but i dont know with everything thats been going on. Er, maybe he reacted stronger to george floyd because he was black than he wouldve otherwise. But, er, i cant see it as a racial thing. He believes the officer did use excessive force, but hes most worried about the looting and rioting that accompanied some protests. The destruction was. Was ridiculous. I mean, it makes no sense. Were gonna turn down and burn down and loot and all this to all our businesses . He supports president trumps call to deploy the military to restore law and order. I mean, the president had to take action. He threatened it and then suddenly the National Guard showed up in force. They werent enforcing anything to begin with, i mean, they werejust going to let it go. Then after more burning and looting they sent in more National Guard, then it became under control. But mike lehmans views now represent a minority in america. Polls suggest most people believe Police Forces do have systemic problems with racial bias. Even conservatives who have been consistently pro police in their rhetoric, i think, are taken aback by this. And theyre willing to rethink a lot of things we might have thought and said in the past. You now also have large majorities of americans, particularly College Educated White Americans, who say racial matters and division is going to play a major part in how they vote this coming november, right . So racism and division is going to be on the ballot in america this november. Thats what this movement has meant, thats what this movement has done. George floyds brutal death held up a mirror to this country and most americans didnt like what they saw. It spoke to black people as the most compelling of cries for equality. And it spoke to White America too, imploring people not to look away, to face the legacy of racism this country endures. If lasting change does come, it will be because of one mans death which, in eight minutes and 46 seconds, raised hopes of bridging a racial divide. This is bbc news. Welcome if youre watching here in the uk, on pbs in america or around the globe. Im Lewis Vaughan jones. Our top stories president trumps attempt to make it easier to deport young immigrants fails in the supreme court. The news is welcomed by the so called dreamers those who came to the us as children. I have cried, i think, many more times in the past four years than in my whole life. Australias Prime Minister says his country is being targeted in a major cyber attack. Frontline medical staff across the world take to the streets, angry at the lack of protection in the battle against covid i9