The Story Of George Floyd

"I can't breathe", George Floyd said, pleading for his life and begging "please, please, please". Those were his last words before he lost his life because of  the police.

George Floyd was a 46-year-old man, born in North Carolina and lived in Houston, Texas. He moved to Minnesota several years ago for a fresh start, in search of some work, trying to turn his life around.

George Floyd was a very talented athlete who excelled in football and basketball at school. He was a father to two daughters, aged 6 and 22. He was known as ‘Big Floyd’ to his loved ones.

Many people said that he had a ‘quiet personality but a gentle a spirit’ and loved his hugs from his regulars. His fiancé, Courteney Ross described him saying, “He stood up for people, he was there for people when they were down, he loved people that were thrown away”. He was nothing but a ‘Gentle Giant’, who was loved by everyone.

He worked as a club security guard, but became jobless, like millions of other Americans due to the Coronavirus pandemic. On the evening of 25^th May, George Floyd had bought a pack of cigarettes from a grocery store and the store employee suspected that the $20 bill Mr. Floyd had used, to be counterfeit and contacted the police.

Once the police arrived, they handcuffed and arrested him for ‘passing counterfeit currency’. When they tried to put Floyd in their car, he stiffened up and fell to the ground. He was restrained by the police while officer Chauvin placed his knee between Floyd’s neck and head, despite him being unarmed and handcuffed, causing difficulty for him to breathe.

There was no need of such drastic measures, and he didn’t stop even after Floyd repeatedly said that he couldn’t breathe. For 8 minutes and 46 seconds, officer Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd’s neck without giving any thought of its consequences.

After about 6 minutes, Floyd became non-responsive. Seeing this, the bystanders urged the police to check his pulse and they couldn’t find any. Yet, officer Chauvin didn’t feel the need to move. Later, he was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The video of this incident was shared widely on social media, triggering a nationwide outrage in the US and across the world, questioning the accountability of the police force and calling for an end to police violence. Protests have taken place in Minneapolis since Floyd’s death. While some of the protest have been peaceful, some have been violent, including the burning of the Minneapolis police station.

And all this for what crime? For allegedly using a counterfeit $20 bill to buy a pack of cigarettes, which describes the crime of poverty at a time when Coronavirus pandemic related financial crisis is present everywhere in the world.

He begged for his life. He pleaded for his life. This is not what you should get from a system that is supposed to protect its people.

George Floyd was a humble, loving person who didn't deserve this.