USA TODAY
National Columnist Suzette Hackney is in Minneapolis for the trial of Derek Chauvin, reporting on the people, the scene and the mood. This is her first report.
George Floyd Square, the memorial at 38th Street and Chicago Avenue named for the Black man who died there, was eerily quiet Tuesday morning. Balloons and brightly colored signs, paintings and dead and artificial flowers glistened in the rising sun. Dirty and weather-worn stuffed animals, still grinning, stood guard. Everywhere I looked, I saw Floyd s face.
Just three miles down the road at the Hennepin County Government Center, National Guard troops stood behind concrete blockades and a gargantuan chain-link fence topped with barbed wire. As jury selection began for Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer accused of killing Floyd, a handful of protesters gathered across the street, eyes locked on the building as if they could witness the court proceedings from the outside.
Floyd s cousin: We ll be able to get through it
George Floyd s cousin, Shareeduh McGee Tate, sat in the courtroom Tuesday during the all-day jury selection process and left feeling grateful for the amount of effort that is going into vetting prospective jurors. I’m just really grateful for being able to sit in and be a part of the process, she said. I appreciate that there’s a lot of time and effort being taken to be sure the right jurors being seated. It’s a long process but I think it’s worth getting it right the first time.