Chauvin in custody. The Star Tribune’s Briana Bierschbach reports: “Minnesota Department of Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington said he just received information that the officer identified as Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd has been taken into custody by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. … There was no more information on charging, because that’s in the jurisdiction of the Hennepin County Attorney, Harrington said. … County Attorney Mike Freeman announced a news conference for 1 p.m. Friday at the Ridgedale Public Library to announce a ‘major development’ in the case.”
Klobuchar’s record as county attorney once more in the news. The New York Times’ Nick Corasaniti and Katie Glueck write: “With a police force in Minneapolis that has long faced accusations of racism and complaints of abuse, Ms. Klobuchar declined to bring charges against multiple police officers who were involved in shootings during her seven-year tenure. Instead she often opted to send cases to a grand jury, a common practice at the time but one that some law enforcement experts say favors police officers. … In October 2006, [Derek] Chauvin, the same officer who knelt on Mr. Floyd’s neck for more than seven minutes as he complained he could not breathe, was one of six officers involved in the shooting of a man who had stabbed multiple people before turning on the police. Ms. Klobuchar, weeks away from being elected to the Senate, was still the prosecutor, but the case wasn’t heard until after she took the oath of office in Washington.”
Reporters arrested (they were later released). Slate’s Elliot Hannon reports: “During an early morning live shot covering the ongoing unrest in Minneapolis over the death of George Floyd, Minnesota state police advanced on and arrested a CNN correspondent and camera crew covering the event. The three-person crew was live on air around 5 a.m. CST (6 a.m. EST) when police in riot gear began approaching correspondent Omar Jimenez. The officers briefly encircled the crew and then over the course of several minutes handcuffed and arrested everyone.”
Democracy Now did a story from Minneapolis: “As thousands take to the streets of Minneapolis to protest against the police killing of George Floyd for the third night in a row, we go to Minneapolis to speak with City Councilmember Jeremiah Ellison. Police pointed an automatic rifle at his head in 2015 when he was peacefully protesting the police killing of another African American man, Jamar Clark. We also speak with Kandace Montgomery with the Black Visions Collective, which is calling for the abolition of police.”
In other news…
Targets mostly back open: After closing 24 stores, Target reopens all but 6 in Twin Cities this morning [Star Tribune]
It’s a lot: “A list of the buildings damaged, looted in Minneapolis and St. Paul” [Bring Me The News]
Interesting perspective: “‘Let My Building Burn’: Gandhi Mahal Restaurant Owner Calls For Justice For George Floyd” [WCCO]
Hungry? “Black-owned restaurants in the Twin Cities to support right now (and always)” [City Pages]
Rare setback for powerful bike lobby: “Closure of Greenway irks coalition” [Southwest Journal]
The criticism of Klobuchar on that case is absurd. The incident happened October 29. She got elected to the Senate November 7. I doubt she ever even looked at that case.
You’re partly right. But the article isn’t just about the one case. There’s a pattern that a person like Amy Klobuchar, who’s used her position as Hennepin County Attorney as qualifications for and a stepping stone for higher office, cannot soft pedal. It might be unfair but will her record on this issue commend her as a possible Vice-President to the millions of voters for whom this resonates as crucially important?
I get that. And I don’t think that she should be the VP candidate.
The story only says it happened in October 2006. Putting in the actual date (the 29th) would have undermined the whole story.
No. The story mentions multiple occasions where she took a pass.
She was in Office January 5, 1999 – January 3, 2007. The incident took place Oct 2006. That would mean she was still in office for 60 days.
Kicked the can down the road ?
The story says this incident occurred in October 2006, which is why its dishonest garbage. I looked up the actual date, which was October 29th – 9 days before the election. But that would have ruined the story.
Mike Freeman was elected District attorney the same day she was elected to the Senate. He neither officially took office until January, but both were transitioning into their new jobs. Of course Freeman handled that and not Klobuchar. She probably hadn’t been doing any real work for months. The idea that she kicked the can down the road or had any input whatsoever into the charging decision is laughable. That’s not how anything works.
I doubt she looked at any case.
I urge County Attorney Freeman to go slowly in considering charges against the other officers. He said Friday, “This is by far the fastest we have ever charged a police officer. Normally these cases take nine months to a year.”
In 1980, Janet Reno rushed through an investigation in a similar police brutality case — and the rush botched the case, leading to cops being acquitted on all charges, leading to a murderous riot. I spent seven years studying that case and wrote a book about it, Verdict on Trial. Indictments now might appease demonstrators in Minneapolis, but if they’re done wrong, they could end causing problems in the later trial.