US police officer accused of killing George Floyd involved in three shootings, received 17 complaints

Derek Chauvin was fired after video showed him kneeling on neck of black man, who said he could not breathe, for almost eight minutes

Policeman was among group of officers who fatally shot stabbing suspect in 2006; 16 complaints against him were closed with no discipline


Associated Press  29 May, 2020


This image taken from a video shows one of the Minneapolis police officers arresting George Floyd before he died. Photo: AFP
A white Minneapolis police officer accused of killing a black suspect by kneeling on his neck is a 19-year veteran of the force with a service record that includes three shooting incidents, one of them fatal, and nearly 20 complaints.

Derek Chauvin, 44, became the focus of angry street protests and a federal investigation after he was seen in cellphone video kneeling on the neck of 46-year-old George Floyd for almost eight minutes Monday night during his arrest on a suspicion of passing a counterfeit bill charge.

Floyd, who was heard complaining that he could not breathe, was pronounced dead later that night.

Minneapolis City Council records show that Chauvin moonlighted as a bouncer at a downtown Latin nightclub. He was among a group of six officers who opened fire on a stabbing suspect in 2006 after a chase that ended when the suspect pointed a sawed-off shotgun at them.

The suspect, Wayne Reyes, was hit multiple times and died. A grand jury decided the use of force was justified.

Two years later, Chauvin shot Ira Latrell Toles as he was responding to a domestic dispute.

According to a St Paul Pioneer Press account of the incident, a 911 operator received a call from an apartment and heard a woman yelling for someone to stop hitting her. Chauvin and another officer arrived just as Toles locked himself in the bathroom.

Chauvin forced his way into the bathroom. Toles went for Chauvin’s gun and Chauvin shot him twice in the stomach. Toles survived and was charged with two counts of obstruction.

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Chauvin was also among a group of five officers in 2011 who chased down Leroy Martinez in a housing complex after they spotted him running with a pistol.

One of the officers, Terry Nutter, shot Martinez in the torso. Martinez survived. All the officers were placed on leave but absolved of any wrongdoing, with Police Chief Timothy Dolan saying they acted “appropriately and courageously”.

Online city records also show that 17 complaints have been filed against Chauvin, who was fired on Tuesday along with the three other officers who were involved in Floyd’s arrest. Sixteen complaints were closed with no discipline. The remaining complaint generated two letters of reprimand. The records do not include any details on the substance of the complaints.

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A much different side of the officer was portrayed in a 2018 newspaper profile of his wife, Kellie, a Laotian refugee who was seeking to become the first Hmong Mrs Minnesota. She told the Pioneer Press that they met when he dropped off a suspect at a Minneapolis hospital where she worked.

“Under that uniform, he’s just a softie,” she said. “He’s such a gentleman. He still opens the door for me, still puts my coat on for me. After my divorce, I had a list of must-haves if I were ever to be in a relationship, and he fit all of them.”

A demonstrator holds a sign in front of police officers outside the Oakdale home of fired Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on Wednesday. Photo: Star Tribune via AP

Less is known about the other three officers involved in Floyd’s arrest.

Online court records indicate that the officer who stood guard at the scene, Tou Thao, was sued in federal court in 2017 for alleged excessive force. According to the lawsuit, Lamar Ferguson claimed Thao and his partner stopped him as he was walking to his girlfriend’s house in 2014 for no reason and beat him up.

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The city ultimately settled the lawsuit for US$25,000.

City records show six complaints have been filed against Thao. Five were closed with no discipline. One remains open. The records did not include any further details.

Thomas Lane joined the force as a cadet in March 2019, according to online city records. No information about J. Alexander Kueng’s service history was immediately available. City records show no complaints against either of them.

Lawyers for Chauvin, Thao and Kueng did not return messages. Lane’s lawyer, Earl Gray, declined to comment.

ALL FOUR OFFICERS INVOLVED HAVE CLAIMED THE FIFTH











Officer accused in Floyd’s death opened fire on 2 people
By TODD RICHMOND




1 of 8  https://apnews.com/a69682cfc7dd6f99260315b5a68fe6ec
Protesters face off with police at the Minneapolis Police Third Precinctt, Thursday, May 28, 2020, after a night of rioting as protests continue over the arrest of George Floyd who died in police custody Monday night in Minneapolis after video shared online by a bystander showed a white officer kneeling on his neck during his arrest as he pleaded that he couldn't breathe. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

A white Minneapolis police officer who knelt on George Floyd’s neck opened fire on two people during his 19-year career and had nearly 20 complaints and two letters of reprimand filed against him.

Derek Chauvin, 44, became the focus of street protests and a federal investigation after he was seen in cellphone video kneeling on the neck of Floyd, a 46-year-old a black man, for almost eight minutes Monday night during his arrest on a suspicion of passing a counterfeit bill. Floyd, who was handcuffed and heard saying he couldn’t breathe, was pronounced dead later that night.

Chauvin, whose driveway was splattered with red paint and the graffiti “murderer,” has not spoken publicly since Floyd’s death and his attorney did not respond to calls seeking comment. He and the other three officers involved in Floyd’s arrest were fired Tuesday.

Minneapolis City Council records show that Chauvin moonlighted as a bouncer at a downtown Latin nightclub. A former owner of the club told KSTP-TV on Thursday that Floyd also worked security for the club up to the end of last year. But Maya Santamaria, who the station reported owned the El Nuevo Rodeo Club for nearly two decades before selling the venue this year, said she didn’t know if the men knew each other because the club often had a couple dozen security guards at a time.





In 2006, Chauvin was among a group of six officers who opened fire on a stabbing suspect after a chase that ended when the suspect pointed a sawed-off shotgun at them. The suspect, Wayne Reyes, was hit multiple times and died. A grand jury decided the use of force was justified.

Two years later, Chauvin shot Ira Latrell Toles as he was responding to a domestic dispute.

According to a Pioneer Press account of the incident, a 911 operator received a call from an apartment and heard a woman yelling for someone to stop hitting her. Chauvin and another officer arrived just as Toles locked himself in the bathroom. Chauvin forced his way into the bathroom. Toles went for Chauvin’s gun and Chauvin shot him twice in the stomach. Toles survived and was charged with two counts of felony obstruction.

Toles told the Daily Beast that the mother of his child called police that night and he fled into the bathroom after officers broke down the apartment door. Chauvin then broke down the bathroom door and started to hit him without warning. He said he fought back in self-defense and was too disoriented to go for Chauvin’s gun.

Toles said he ultimately pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge and still feels pain from the shooting.

“He tried to kill me in that bathroom,” Toles said.

Online city records also show that 17 complaints have been filed against Chauvin. Sixteen complaints were closed with no discipline. The remaining complaint generated two letters of reprimand, with one apparently related to the use of a squad car dashboard camera. The records don’t include any details on the substance of the complaints.

Chauvin also was among a group of five officers in 2011 who chased down a man named Leroy Martinez in a housing complex after they spotted him running with a pistol. One of the officers, Terry Nutter, shot Martinez in the torso. Martinez survived. All the officers were placed on leave but absolved of any wrongdoing, with Police Chief Timothy Dolan saying they acted “appropriately and courageously.”


Less is known about the other three officers involved in Floyd’s arrest.

Online court records indicate that the officer who stood guard at the scene, Tou Thao, was sued in federal court in 2017 for alleged excessive force. According to the lawsuit, Lamar Ferguson claimed Thao and his partner stopped him as he was walking to his girlfriend’s house in 2014 for no reason and beat him up. The city ultimately settled the lawsuit for $25,000.

City records show six complaints have been filed against Thao. Five were closed with no discipline. One remains open. The records didn’t include any further details.

Thomas Lane joined the force as a cadet in March 2019, according to online city records. No information about J. Alexander Kueng’s service history was immediately available. City records show no complaints against either of them. Attorneys for Thao and Kueng didn’t return messages. Lane’s attorney, Earl Gray, declined comment.

___

Associated Press writer Michael R. Sisak contributed to this report from New York.

George Floyd protesters set Minneapolis police station afire 
40 PHOTOS

By TIM SULLIVAN and AMY FORLITI

1 of 40
A protester gestures in front of the burning 3rd Precinct building of the Minneapolis Police Department on Thursday, May 28, 2020, in Minneapolis. Protests over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody Monday, broke out in Minneapolis for a third straight night. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)


MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Cheering protesters torched a Minneapolis police station Thursday that the department was forced to abandon as three days of violent protests spread to nearby St. Paul and angry demonstrations flared across the U.S over the death of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who pleaded for air as a white police officer kneeled on his neck.

A police spokesman confirmed late Thursday that staff had evacuated the 3rd Precinct station, the focus of many of the protests, “in the interest of the safety of our personnel” shortly after 10 p.m. Livestream video showed the protesters entering the building, where fire alarms blared and sprinklers ran as blazes were set.

Protesters could be seen setting fire to a Minneapolis Police Department jacket and cheering.




Late Thursday, President Donald Trump blasted the “total lack of leadership” in Minneapolis. “Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts,” he said on Twitter.

Protests first erupted Tuesday, a day after Floyd’s death in a confrontation with police captured on widely seen citizen video. On the video, Floyd can be seen pleading as Officer Derek Chauvin presses his knee against him. As minutes pass, Floyd slowly stops talking and moving. The 3rd Precinct covers the portion of south Minneapolis where Floyd was arrested.




Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz earlier Thursday activated the National Guard at the Minneapolis mayor’s request, but it wasn’t immediately clear when and where the Guard was being deployed, and none could be seen during protests in Minneapolis or St. Paul. The Guard tweeted minutes after the precinct burned that it had activated more than 500 soldiers across the metro area.

The Guard said a “key objective” was to make sure fire departments could respond to calls, and said in a follow-up tweet it was “here with the Minneapolis Fire Department” to assist. But no move was made to put out the 3rd Precinct fire. Assistant Fire Chief Bryan Tyner said fire crews could not safely respond to fires at the precinct station and some surrounding buildings.

Earlier Thursday, dozens of businesses across the Twin Cities boarded up their windows and doors in an effort to prevent looting, with Minneapolis-based Target announcing it was temporarily closing two dozen area stores. Minneapolis shut down nearly its entire light-rail system and all bus service through Sunday out of safety concerns.

In St. Paul, clouds of smoke hung in the air as police armed with batons and wearing gas masks and body armor kept a watchful eye on protesters along one of the city’s main commercial corridors, where firefighters also sprayed water onto a series of small fires. At one point, officers stood in line in front of a Target, trying to keep out looters, who were also smashing windows of other businesses.

Hundreds of demonstrators returned Thursday to the Minneapolis neighborhood at the center of the violence, where the nighttime scene veered between an angry protest and a street party. At one point, a band playing in a parking lot across from the 3rd Precinct broke into a punk version of Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song.” Nearby, demonstrators carried clothing mannequins from a looted Target and threw them onto a burning car. Later, a building fire erupted nearby.

But elsewhere in Minneapolis, thousands of peaceful demonstrators marched through the streets calling for justice.

Floyd’s death has deeply shaken Minneapolis and sparked protests in cities across the U.S. Local leaders have repeatedly urged demonstrators to avoid violence.

“Please stay home. Please do not come here to protest. Please keep the focus on George Floyd, on advancing our movement and on preventing this from ever happening again,” tweeted St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, who is black.



Erika Atson, 20, was among thousands of people who gathered outside government offices in downtown Minneapolis, where organizers had called a peaceful protest. Many protesters wore masks because of the coronavirus pandemic, but there were few attempts at social distancing.

Atson, who is black, described seeing her 14- and 11-year-old brothers tackled by Minneapolis police years ago because officers mistakenly presumed the boys had guns. She said she had been at “every single protest” since Floyd’s death and worried about raising children who could be vulnerable in police encounters.

“We don’t want to be here fighting against anyone. We don’t want anyone to be hurt. We don’t want to cause any damages,” she said. “We just want the police officer to be held accountable.”

The group marched peacefully for three hours before another confrontation with police broke out, though details were scarce.

After calling in the Guard, Walz urged widespread changes in the wake of Floyd’s death.

“It is time to rebuild. Rebuild the city, rebuild our justice system and rebuild the relationship between law enforcement and those they’re charged to protect,” Walz said.




Much of the Minneapolis violence occurred in the Longfellow neighborhood, where protesters converged on the precinct station of the police who arrested Floyd. In a strip mall across the street from the 3rd Precinct station, the windows in nearly every business had been smashed, from the large Target department store at one end to the Planet Fitness gym at the other. Only the 24-hour laundromat appeared to have escaped unscathed.

“WHY US?” demanded a large expanse of red graffiti scrawled on the wall of the Target. A Wendy’s restaurant across the street was charred almost beyond recognition.

Among the casualties of the overnight fires: a six-story building under construction that was to provide nearly 200 apartments of affordable housing.

“We’re burning our own neighborhood,” said a distraught Deona Brown, a 24-year-old woman standing with a friend outside the precinct station, where a small group of protesters were shouting at a dozen or so stone-faced police officers in riot gear. “This is where we live, where we shop, and they destroyed it.” No officers could be seen beyond the station.

“What that cop did was wrong, but I’m scared now,” Brown said.

Others in the crowd saw something different in the wreckage.

Protesters destroyed property “because the system is broken,” said a young man who identified himself only by his nickname, Cash, and who said he had been in the streets during the violence. He dismissed the idea that the destruction would hurt residents of the largely black neighborhood.

“They’re making money off of us,” he said angrily of the owners of the destroyed stores. He laughed when asked if he had joined in the looting or violence. “I didn’t break anything.”

The protests that began Wednesday night and extended into Thursday were more violent than Tuesday’s, which included skirmishes between offices and protesters but no widespread property damage.

Mayor Jacob Frey appealed for calm but the city’s response to the protests was quickly questioned as things started spiraling into violence. “If the strategy was to keep residents safe — it failed,” City Council Member Jeremiah Ellison, who is black, tweeted. “Prevent property damage — it failed.” On Thursday, he urged police to leave the scene of the overnight violence, saying their presence brings people into the streets.

Protests have also spread to other U.S. cities. In New York City, protesters defied New York’s coronavirus prohibition on public gatherings Thursday, clashing with police, while demonstrators blocked traffic in downtown Denver. A day earlier, demonstrators had taken to the streets in Los Angeles and Memphis.

In Louisville, Kentucky, police confirmed that at least seven people had been shot Thursday night as protesters demanded justice for Breonna Taylor, a black woman who was fatally shot by police in her home in March.

Amid the violence in Minneapolis, a man was found fatally shot Wednesday night near a pawn shop, possibly by the owner, authorities said.

Full Coverage: Minneapolis

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Fire crews responded to about 30 intentionally set blazes, and multiple fire trucks were damaged by rocks and other projectiles, the fire department said. No one was hurt by the blazes.

The city on Thursday released a transcript of the 911 call that brought police to the grocery store where Floyd was arrested. The caller described someone paying with a counterfeit bill, with workers rushing outside to find the man sitting on a van. The caller described the man as “awfully drunk and he’s not in control of himself.” Asked by the 911 operator whether the man was “under the influence of something,” the caller said: “Something like that, yes. He is not acting right.” Police said Floyd matched the caller’s description of the suspect.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI in Minneapolis said Thursday they were conducting “a robust criminal investigation” into the death. President Donald Trump has said he had asked an investigation to be expedited.

The FBI is also investigating whether Floyd’s civil rights were violated.

Chauvin, the officer who kneeled on Floyd’s neck, was fired Tuesday with three other officers involved in the arrest. The next day, the mayor called for Chauvin to be criminally charged. He also appealed for the activation of the National Guard.

___

Associated Press writers Steve Karnowski, Jeff Baenen and Doug Glass in Minneapolis, and Gretchen Ehlke in Milwaukee contributed to this report.

PHOTOS 

24 Harrowing Pictures Of People Protesting The Death Of George Floyd In Minneapolis

MAY 29, 2020

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/gabrielsanchez/pictures-minneapolis-george-floyd-death?bfsource=relatedmanual

54 PHOTOS 

Demonstrators clash with police as they protest death of George Floyd in Minneapolis

May 28, 2020

https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/news/nation/2020/05/27/hundreds-gather-protest-death-george-floyd-minneapolis/5263906002/

Heated Protests Against Police Killing Unarmed Black People Spread Across The Country Last Night

Protesters enraged over two unarmed black people killed by police led to a Minneapolis precinct being stormed and the activation of the national guard.

Ikran DahirBuzzFeed News ReporterAde OnibadaBuzzFeed News Reporter

Last updated on May 29, 2020

Anadolu Agency / Getty Images

Protestors set a shop on fire during the third day of protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

There were heated protests around the US on Thursday night in response to acts of police brutality that killed an unarmed black man in Minneapolis and an unarmed black woman in Kentucky.

Hundreds swarmed the streets of Minneapolis for a third day of protests against the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a police officer used a knee chokehold on his neck as he repeatedly pleaded, "I can't breathe." Experts told BuzzFeed News the tactic was unacceptable and unjustified, and should be banned.

Protesters clashed with police in the southern Minneapolis area, breaching the Third Precinct headquarters and setting the building on fire. Police had vacated the building by 10 p.m. on an order from Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.

The City of Minneapolis Twitter account urged people to move away from the area, citing "unconfirmed reports" of cut gas lines and explosives in the building.

Fireworks were set off in the background as the precinct burned.

Danny Spewak@DannySpewak

Fireworks shooting into the sky as the MPD Third Precinct burns. @kare11

03:29 AM - 29 May 2020

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Police also arrested CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez, who is black and Latino, and his crew while they covered the protest in Minneapolis. The network said in a statement that the arrests "a clear violation of [the crew's] First Amendment right."

CNN staff have said their white reporter Josh Campbell was the only one not arrested. Campbell said after identifying himself to police, they told him he was permitted to be in the area.

Jimenez and his crew have since been released from custody.

CNN@CNN

Minnesota police arrest CNN reporter and camera crew as they report from protests in Minneapolis https://t.co/oZdqBti776

10:26 AM - 29 May 2020

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President Donald Trump tweeted about the Minneapolis protests in the early hours of Friday, calling Frey to "bring the City under control, or I will send in the National Guard & get the job done right."

He also called protesters "thugs" and threatened to shoot looters in a subsequent tweet that sparked widespread condemnation. Twitter later labeled the tweet for violating the platform's rules about glorifying violence.

Stephen Maturen / Getty Images

Protesters march down a highway off-ramp on May 28, 2020 on their way to Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In nearby St. Paul, police fired tear gas at protesters during similarly tense demonstrations, and businesses were looted and police cars damaged.

In a statement urging calm, Mayor Melvin Carter said, “For all of us who lament the death of Mr. Floyd, for all of us whose fathers, whose sons, whose nephews, whose selves that could have been, our demand has to be that we take this energy and channel it towards helping prevent something like that from ever happening again."

The Minnesota National Guard was deployed to both Minneapolis and St. Paul Thursday.

John Minchillo / AP

Residents react after tear gas is fired by police onto their porch as they sat to watch protestors demonstrate in St. Paul, Minn.

Hundreds of miles away, in Louisville, Kentucky, demonstrators gathered to protest the death of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old black woman who was fatally shot in her home by police officers on March 13. Her death is being investigated by the FBI.

Louisville police say that seven people were shot during the demonstration, including at least one person who was described as being in critical condition. The shooting did not involve police, but occurred within the protests.

“We know that there were several hours of peaceful protest before some of the crowd turned violent,” said Louisville mayor Greg Fischer. He clarified that two of the individuals who had been shot had required surgery but the remaining five were in “good condition.”

Scenes from the demonstration captured the moment protestors attempted to overturn a police transport vehicle before the sound of gunshots dispersed the crowd causing a frenzy.

At the height of the protest, Fischer shared a message online said to have been from a member of Taylor’s family, calling for protesters to refrain from violence.

The unidentified woman thanked protestors for their support: “Louisville, thank you so much for saying Breonna’s name tonight. We are not going to stop until we get justice, but we should stop tonight before people get hurt. Please go home, be safe and be ready to keep fighting.”

Mayor Greg Fischer@louisvillemayor

A message from Breonna Taylor’s family urging protestors to be peaceful, go home and keep fighting for truth.

04:21 AM - 29 May 2020

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Louisville Metro PD Special Adviser Jessica Halliday said at a virtual press conference that the chaos on Thursday night shows the "obvious frustration of the tension between police and residents."

Halliday said police have been using "great restraint" in their response to protesters, but that property was being damaged and officers were having bottles thrown at them.

"We are asking people to please help us stop this and bring a peaceful resolution for the rest of the night," she said."

Protests against Floyd and Taylor's death spilled out of Minneapolis and Louisville into major cities across the country.

In Denver, protesters rallied outside the Colorado State Capital Building demanding justice for victims of police brutality. The sound of gunfire rang out at one point, though Denver police said there were no reports of injuries at the time.

Video of a woman driving through a crowd of protesters in downtown Denver, then swerving right and narrowly swiping a man with her car also went viral.

Anabel Escobar, the protester who filmed the incident, told BuzzFeed News the woman driving the car was trying to get out of a line of cars on a closed street.

"When she started moving, protesters moved towards her car to not let her pass. She continued to accelerate into the group of people," Escobar said. When the man on the car jumped off and walked back to the crowd, "Instead of driving forward to get out, she made a hard right to come back towards the protestors and hit the guy."

Anabel@bellers03

Downtown denver. Some girl turned around to run this guy over #GeorgeFloyd #icantbreathe #downtowndenver #denver

01:09 AM - 29 May 2020

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In New York City, at least 70 people were arrested after police and protesters clashed.

A Black CNN Reporter And His Crew Were Arrested Live On Air At The Minneapolis Protests

The three people, who repeatedly identified themselves as members of the media, were later released after the governor intervened.

Julia Reinstein BuzzFeed News Reporter
 May 29, 2020,


CNN

A black CNN reporter and two members of his production team were arrested live on air early Friday morning in Minneapolis while covering the heated protests sparked by the police killing of another black man, George Floyd, in the city on Monday.

In video of the moment before the arrest, reporter Omar Jimenez can be heard complying with officers and asking where police would like them to stand.

"Put us back where you want us," Jimenez told the officers. "We are getting out your way, so just let us know. Wherever you want us, we will go."

Jimenez then continued reporting describing the scene, until two officers handcuffed him and told him he was under arrest.

"Why am I under arrest, sir?" Jimenez asked the officers, before they led him away.

CNN@CNN
Minnesota police arrest CNN reporter and camera crew as they report from protests in Minneapolis https://t.co/oZdqBti77610:26 AM - 29 May 2020
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"You’re arresting him live on CNN. We told you before that we are with CNN," a member of the production team said.

The team continued to report, saying that Jimenez "clearly identified himself as a reporter" and "was respectfully explaining to the state police that our CNN team was there and moving away as they would request."

The police then arrested the crew members, who placed the camera on the ground in order to continue broadcasting live.

CNN identified them as producer Bill Kirkos and photojournalist Leonel Mendez.

CNN Communications@CNNPR

A CNN reporter & his production team were arrested this morning in Minneapolis for doing their jobs, despite identifying themselves - a clear violation of their First Amendment rights. The authorities in Minnesota, incl. the Governor, must release the 3 CNN employees immediately.10:51 AM - 29 May 2020
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On Twitter, CNN confirmed the arrests, which it called "a clear violation of their First Amendment rights" and called for them to be immediately released.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz apologized to CNN president Jeff Zucker, saying he "accepts full responsibility" and was working to have the team released.

"It was totally unacceptable and totally inadvertent what happened. They clearly had the right to be there, the CNN team," Walz said in a statement, which was read live on air.

Less than an hour later, CNN tweeted that they had been released from custody.

Minnesota State Patrol confirmed the three arrests on Twitter, stating that they were "released once they were confirmed to be members of the media."


MN State Patrol@MnDPS_MSP
In the course of clearing the streets and restoring order at Lake Street and Snelling Avenue, four people were arrested by State Patrol troopers, including three members of a CNN crew. The three were released once they were confirmed to be members of the media.12:00 PM - 29 May 2020
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But CNN tweeted that the police statement was "not accurate."

"Our CNN crew identified themselves, on live television, immediately as journalists," the network tweeted.

Hours after he was released, Jimenez was back on the air. He said the arrest "definitely was nerve-wracking at certain points," but that "the one thing that gave me a little bit of comfort was that it happened on live TV."

"You don’t have to doubt my story. It’s not filtered in any sort of way," Jimenez said. "You saw it for your own eyes, and that gave me a little bit of comfort."


Joe Biden@JoeBiden
This is not abstract: a black reporter was arrested while doing his job this morning, while the white police officer who killed George Floyd remains free. I am glad swift action was taken, but this, to me, says everything.02:04 PM - 29 May 2020
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Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, criticized the arrest in a tweet and said he was glad Jimenez was swiftly released.

"This is not abstract: a black reporter was arrested while doing his job this morning, while the white police officer who killed George Floyd remains free," Biden said.

Following the arrests, CNN reporter Josh Campbell, who is white, said on air that he "was treated much differently" by police while covering the same protests in the same area.

"My experience has been the opposite of what Omar just experienced there," Campbell said.

The National Association of Black Journalists condemned the arrest, with its president, Dorothy Tucker, calling it "unfathomable and upsetting to witness this structural racism in real time."

"We are relieved to see Omar has been released, but we are still disturbed by the apparent violation of First Amendment rights that are the bedrock of journalism," Tucker said.

May 29, 2020, at 8:19 a.m.


Correction: Omar Jimenez's name was misspelled in an earlier version of this post.

Twitter adds ‘glorifying violence’ label on Donald Trump’s Minneapolis tweet

Twitter placed a ‘public interest notice’ on the tweet about protests in Minneapolis over the death of George Floyd at the hands of the police

Earlier, Trump lashed out at Twitter and signed an executive order seeking to strip social media giants of legal immunity for content on their platforms

Agence France-Presse, 29 May, 2020

US President Donald Trump. Photo: Bloomberg

Twitter concealed one of
Donald Trump’s tweets on Friday for “glorifying violence,” ramping up a dispute with the US president who says social media companies censor conservative voices like his.
In a move bound to infuriate one of the platform’s most followed users, Twitter said it was placing a “public interest notice” on a Trump tweet about
violent protests in Minneapolis over the death of an unarmed black man at the hands of the police.


In a late night tweet, Trump wrote: “These THUGS are dishonouring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!”

Hours later, the micro-messaging platform hid the tweet behind a message that said it “violates our policies regarding the glorification of violence based on the historical context of the last line, its connection to violence, and the risk it could inspire similar actions today.”

As is standard with this notice, engagements with the Tweet will be limited. People will be able to Retweet with Comment, but will not be able to Like, Reply or Retweet it.

Users could still click through and view the full unedited tweet.

Trump, who has more than 80 million followers on Twitter, lashed out at the platform on Thursday, signing an executive order seeking to strip social media giants of legal immunity for content on their platforms.

The order calls on government regulators to evaluate if online platforms should be eligible for liability protection for content posted by their millions of users.

The move, which was slammed by critics as a legally dubious act of political revenge, came after
Twitter labelled two earlier Trump tweets – on the increasingly contentious topic of mail-in voting – as misleading.

If enforced, the action would upend decades of precedent and treat internet platforms as “publishers” potentially liable for user-generated content.

Trump told reporters at the White House he acted because big tech firms “have had unchecked power to censor, restrict, edit, shape, hide, alter any form of communication between private citizens or large public audiences.”

“We can’t let this continue to happen,” Trump said.

....These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)
May 29, 2020
Critics said, however, Trump has no authority to regulate private internet operators or change the law, known as
Section 230, which backers say has allowed online platforms like Facebook and Twitter to flourish.

The American Civil Liberties Union called Trump’s order “a blatant and unconstitutional threat to punish social media companies that displease the president.”

Eric Goldman, director of the High-Tech Law Institute at Santa Clara University, said the order was “more about political theatre than about changing the law.”

The order “is not legally supportable – it flies in the face of more than 900 court decisions,” Goldman said. 

The White House seeks to sidestep the provisions giving internet firms immunity by treating them as publishers operating in part of a “public square.”

Amid Twitter fact-check row, Trump signs order against social media firms
29 May 2020



“Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube wield immense, if not unprecedented, power to shape the interpretation of public events; to censor, delete, or disappear information; and to control what people see or do not see,” the executive order said.


While the Trump order would not prevent platforms from moderating content, it could open them up to a flood of lawsuits from anyone who claims to be harmed by content posted online.


Critics said the action represents a dangerous effort by the government to regulate online speech.


“Social media can be frustrating. But an Executive Order that would turn the FCC into the President’s speech police is not the answer,” said Jessica Rosenworcel, a Democratic member of Federal Communications Commission, one of the agencies tasked with enforcing the executive order.


Matt Schruers, president of the Computer & Communications Industry Association, a trade group, warned that “retaliation against the private sector for fact-checking leadership is what we expect from foreign autocracies, not the United States.”

Violent protests over death of George Floyd spread beyond Minneapolis
29 May 2020



Internet firms have denied Trump’s claims of bias, and point to his massive social media following. But the president’s move plays into his narrative ahead of his difficult November re-election battle that liberal forces are trying to censor Republicans.

A wider debate has long been under way on the power that social media companies wield and what responsibility they bear for posts that are misleading or hurtful.

Internet services like Twitter and Facebook have been struggling to root out misinformation, while at the same time keeping their platforms open to users.

Donald Trump becomes third US president in history to be impeached

After long resisting calls to censure Trump over his frequent factually inaccurate posts, Twitter on Tuesday flagged the president for the first time for making false claims.

Trump had tweeted – without any evidence – that more mail-in voting would lead to what he called a “Rigged Election” this November.

Trump is igniting a constitutional crisis — and it could doom the US to becoming a failed state

Published May 28, 2020 By Bill Blum, Independent Media Institute

There are no universally accepted definitions of either a “failed state” or a “constitutional crisis.” Good arguments can be advanced, however, that we are suffering from both disorders at the state and national levels in the midst of the lethal COVID-19 pandemic.

In a May 19 article, Guardian columnist Nathan Robinson argues that Wisconsin is beginning to resemble a failed state, which he defines as “one that can no longer claim legitimacy or perform a government’s core function of protecting the people’s basic security.” The Wisconsin GOP, Robinson writes, is a minority party, but after years of extreme gerrymandering, it wields de facto dictatorial powers, enabling it to gut public-sector unions and advance the privileges of business interests and the wealthy.

The failed nature of Wisconsin governance, according to Robinson, was graphically displayed on May 13, when the conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court overturned Democratic Governor Tony Evers’ coronavirus “stay-at-home” orders. The ruling came in a lawsuit brought by the state’s GOP-controlled assembly and senate. It allowed patrons to crowd into bars, restaurants, and other venues without any social-distancing restrictions whatsoever.

The people of Wisconsin, by and large, are no fools. Like people everywhere, they want a return to normalcy, but they are also concerned about recklessly reopening the economy. A Marquette University poll released on May 12 found that 69 percent of residents supported the governor’s policies, which were designed by the state’s top public-health officials. The policies were also backed by the ACLU, which saw them as vital for the protection of minority communities that have been devastated by COVID-19.

The net result, in Robinson’s view, is this: “The more that Wisconsin Republicans act to impose their will unilaterally without regard to the safety or will of the people, the less we should treat Wisconsin as a functional government.”

But what about the country as a whole under the Trump presidency?

In a longer and even more scathing article published in the June issue of the Atlantic magazine, George Packer contends that the U.S. has crossed the failed-state threshold. Packer’s language and observations are jarring, even for the Trump era.

“When the virus came here,” he begins, “it found a country with serious underlying conditions, and it exploited them ruthlessly. Chronic ills—a corrupt political class, a sclerotic bureaucracy, a heartless economy, a divided and distracted public—had gone untreated for years. We had learned to live, uncomfortably, with the symptoms. It took the scale and intimacy of a pandemic to expose their severity—to shock Americans with the recognition that we are in the high-risk category.”

Packer continues:

“The crisis demanded a response that was swift, rational, and collective. The United States reacted instead like Pakistan or Belarus—like a country with shoddy infrastructure and a dysfunctional government whose leaders were too corrupt or stupid to head off mass suffering. The administration squandered two irretrievable months to prepare. From the president came willful blindness, scapegoating, boasts, and lies. From his mouthpieces, conspiracy theories and miracle cures…

“Every morning in the endless month of March, Americans woke up to find themselves citizens of a failed state. With no national plan—no coherent instructions at all—families, schools, and offices were left to decide on their own whether to shut down and take shelter.… Russia, Taiwan, and the United Nations sent humanitarian aid to the world’s richest power—a beggar nation in utter chaos.”

The extent of the chaos and the scale of our national shame cannot be understated. The U.S., with 4 percent of the world’s population, accounts for roughly 29 percent of worldwide COVID-19 fatalities. The raw numbers are breathtaking, as more than 100,000 Americans now have died from the virus. By comparison, a total of 58,220 Americans died in the Vietnam War.

Meanwhile, guided by his goal of winning another term at all costs, the president has pressed states to fully reopen despite the continued uptick in coronavirus cases in Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, California, and elsewhere. Given the highly contagious nature of the virus and its propensity for exponential growth, it may only be a matter of time until a dreaded “second wave” of infection emerges and sweeps across the entire country.

Packer correctly blames Trump’s epic incompetence, dishonesty and corruption for the catastrophe that has already unfolded and the miseries yet to come. He accuses the president of immolating what was left of our national civic life prior to his election, and sharply dividing Americans along the lines of race, nationality, and religion.

Even if it may be premature to join Packer in labeling the U.S. a failed state, it’s not too early to cite Trump for igniting a constitutional crisis that could eventually lead to failed-state status. Legal scholars such as Princeton University professor of politics Keith Whittington tell us that constitutional crises fall into two general categories: “operational crises,” which occur when vital political disputes can’t be resolved within the existing constitutional framework; and “crises of fidelity,” which happen when a major political actor no longer feels bound by constitutional norms.

We’re beset by both kinds of crises today. As Harvard University Law School Professor Noah Feldman explained in an October 2019 New York Times op-ed, penned on the eve of Trump’s impeachment by the House of Representatives, Trump’s abiding lawlessness means that “we no longer have just a crisis of the presidency. We also have a breakdown in the fundamental structure of government under the Constitution. That counts as a constitutional crisis.”

Since his acquittal by the Senate, Trump has upped the constitutional ante, defying congressional subpoenas, firing inspectors general from several executive-branch departments, arguing before the Supreme Court that he enjoys “absolute immunity” from state criminal investigations, and stacking the federal judiciary with right-wing ideologues. Assisted by Attorney General William Barr, who has transformed the Justice Department into a partisan enterprise, Trump has taken his place in an exclusive rogues’ gallery of past commanders in chief who have wreaked havoc on the constitutional order.

Historically, Trump is following in the footsteps of Andrew Johnson, who precipitated a constitutional crisis in his showdown with the Reconstructionist Congress that ended with his impeachment and near removal from office. A little more than a century later, Richard Nixon triggered another over Watergate that ended in his resignation in the face of near-certain removal.

The nation’s most damaging and far-reaching constitutional crisis, of course, and the one that nearly sealed the fate of the U.S. as a permanently failed state, was the Civil War. Although some commentators have argued that we are in the early stages of a new civil war, fueled by Trump’s malignant narcissism, his frequent use of white-nationalist rhetoric, and the corrosive effects of the pandemic, our hostilities have not yet degenerated into overt bloodletting in the streets.

But will the discord remain peaceful? Armed anti-lockdown protesters stormed the Michigan statehouse in April and May, and a prominent anti-lockdown leader in North Carolina has vowed to resort to violence, if necessary, to achieve the movement’s aims. Predictably, the president has done nothing to deter their demonstrations or tone down their heated rhetoric.

Trump isn’t the first power-hungry American president, or the first racist to occupy the Oval Office, or the first to promulgate incendiary lies, large and small, to manipulate his supporters. But unless he is defeated in November, he may prove to be the most dangerous and, worst of all, the deadliest.

Bill Blum is a retired judge and a lawyer in Los Angeles. He is a lecturer at the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication. He writes regularly on law and politics and is the author of three widely acclaimed legal thrillers: Prejudicial Error, The Last Appeal, and The Face of Justice.