Tragedy in Minneapolis

George Floyd was killed on Memorial Day in a Minneapolis police incident memorialized in nine agonizing minutes of video that almost immediately went viral. A police officer, later identified as Derek Chauvin, kneels on the victim's neck as he pleads for help, repeatedly saying "I can't breathe".

Two days of protests and chaos followed. Some protesters looted a Target in south Minneapolis, about 4 miles from our former home. Last night, clashes with police continued as fires ravaged throughout that neighborhood. Yesterday, protesters gathered outside the home of Derek Chauvin in Oakdale, an eastern Twin Cities suburb about 20 miles from the incident and not far from where I am right now.

Minneapolis Police Chief Medario Arradondo fired the four officers involved and observers around the world are demanding charges. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey is outraged; a “shocked and horrified” Governor Tim Walz and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison promise justice; the Federal Justice Department and the FBI pledge to undertake a “robust criminal investigation”.

When I moved to Minnesota nearly four decades ago, I was surprised to hear only English on the street and see mostly Caucasian faces in a crowd. Although the state has become more diverse, as reported in this 2018 article, racial disparities are evident from an anecdotal perspective and poverty statistics. The numbers are painful to contemplate and call out for change, on institutional and personal levels

The killing and its aftermath are so disturbing, a terrible tragedy that compounds the effects of several fatal racially charged incidents over the last few years. I'm really sad and so very sorry.