Yahoo News George Floyd: A week of tragedy and outrage for Minneapolis ends in arrest
Following the death on Monday of George Floyd, a 46-year-old man detained by police on suspicion of forgery, the city of Minneapolis erupted into protest calling for justice. Yahoo News has compiled a chronological oral history of the week that followed — from Floyd’s detainment to the arrest of the police officer accused of his death.
Video transcript
[MUSIC PLAYING]
- [GROANING] I can't breathe.
- Well, you got him down, man. Let him breathe at least, man.
GEORGE FLOYD: I can't breathe.
- I've been trying to help out.
GEORGE FLOYD: Let me breathe.
- So let him breathe a little bit.
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
- One of my homies died [INAUDIBLE].
GEORGE FLOYD: I'm about to die you say.
- Relax.
- The incident began as an ordinary call reporting a forgery in progress.
JAKE TAPPER: George Floyd repeatedly told the officers that he could not breathe after an officer knelt on his neck.
CHARLES MCMILLIAN: He started calling his mama's name, and he died.
- Today, Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo fired the four officers involved in Floyd's arrest.
- Y'all still shooting though. For what?
- Stop killing us!
JACOB FREY: Over the last 36 hours, one fundamental question-- why is the man who killed George Floyd not in jail?
- Arrest him and we'll go home. Arrest him and we'll go home.
[CROWD CHATTER]
- We get tired. We come out. We show up. Then a couple of weeks go by. We forget that it ever happened, and we're just back to that regular endless cycle until another person dies and we have to show up again and do it all over again. One day you're going to get tired, America.
- Hands up. Hands up.
- Don't shoot.
- Fall back!
JOE BIDEN: You know, we have to ensure that the Floyd family receive the justice they're entitled to.
- It's a pain that-- it's indescribable.
- It has been a tough night, a night of chaos in the city with protests that started peacefully going out of control. Multiple fires raging in South Minneapolis.
ILHAN OMAR: And it's really heartbreaking to watch what took place last night and what continues to happen. To watch our city burn really is one of the most devastating things that has happened to us. It's also devastating to know the anger and the frustration that people feel.
- Say his name!
- George Floyd!
- Say his name!
- George Floyd!
- Say his name!
- George Floyd!
DONALD TRUMP: And I've asked the attorney general, FBI, and the attorney general to take a very strong look and to see what went on because that was a very, very bad thing that I saw.
TREY GOWDY: And I don't need to wait on the feds. This is a violation of Minnesota state law. This is murder.
DON LEMON: It's not that it happens. It happens a lot. We just don't see it. We're just seeing from the video. This is the reason that Colin Kaepernick was taking a knee.
- All right, a Fox News alert now. Violence escalating overnight in Minneapolis as rioters set the city's 3rd Precinct police station on fire.
- New video shows Minnesota state police and the National Guard lining the streets this morning, and this all comes after protesters rallied for a third day in a row.
- Overnight, the president making his position clear, writing, "these thugs are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won't let that happen. Any difficulty and we will assume control, but when the looting starts, the shooting starts."
JACOB FREY: Donald Trump knows nothing about the strength of Minneapolis. We are strong as hell. Is this a difficult time period? Yes, but you better be damn sure that we're going to get through this.
TIM WALZ: Help us use humane way to get the streets to a place where we can restore the justice so that those that are expressing rage and anger and demanding justice are heard.
MICHAEL FREEMAN: Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin has been charged by the Hennepin County Attorney's Office with murder and with manslaughter.
