The Time is Now: Criminal Justice Reform in the Wake of George Floyd’s Killing

On May 25, 2020, an encounter between George Floyd (Black) and Minneapolis police officers Derek Chauvin (white), Tou Thao (Asian), J. Alexander Keung (Black), and Thomas Lane (white)—most of which was recorded by numerous bystanders—turned deadly. After arresting Floyd for allegedly passing a counterfeit bill, Keung and Lane tried to put Floyd in the backseat of their police vehicle, but Floyd protested, saying that he was claustrophobic. Chauvin and Thao arrived on the scene, and Floyd eventually ended up lying on the ground, face down. At that point, Chauvin put his knee on the back of Floyd’s neck.

Nine minutes and twentynine seconds later, he was dead. Floyd had complained over a dozen times that he could not breathe. As of this writing, three of the officers are facing charges while Chauvin has been convicted of murder.7