The 2020 George Floyd/BLM/Police Brutality Protests Discussion Thread

[UKMikey]

Judge blasts U.S. Rep Maxine Waters for 'abhorrent' comments about Chauvin trial

Why on Earth would open your mouth and give the defense any reason for an appeal or a mistrial? Waters' comments were unjustified at this time and should've been saved until after the verdict. I know she's saying what many people are thinking, but at such a critical juncture in the case why would you even give a sliver of ammunition to the defense?

I'm not defending Waters for what she's saying but how would the jury know if they're not supposed to be following news reports?

Oh, wait, the defense attorney introduced her remarks at the trial.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/co...aylor-greene-criticism-chauvin-trial-n1264534

 

[Danoff]

Judge blasts U.S. Rep Maxine Waters for 'abhorrent' comments about Chauvin trial

Link takes me to something about Kansas.

Edit:

https://apnews.com/article/maxine-w...hauvin-trial-c7813707962c9f723c75db54605bad2c


Edit:

Tucker Carlson is claiming that her statements are more of an incitement to violence than Trump's January 6th speech. There's a Rorschach test for you if ever there was one. Her comments:

“We gotta stay on the street, we’ve got to get more active, we’ve got to get more confrontational, we’ve got to make sure that they know that we mean business.”

Now, Trump repeated "peaceful" a few times during his speech to temper down his statements, Waters blew right past that stop sign. On the otherhand, Waters isn't making statements about playing by "different rules" the way Trump did.

Waters is making statements that are less clear to me than Trump's, but I am in no way surprised to see that people like Carlson are seizing the opportunity to make Trump look more reasonable and Waters look less reasonable.

 

[Joey D]

I'm not defending Waters for what she's saying but how would the jury know if they're not supposed to be following news reports?

Oh, wait, the defense attorney introduced her remarks at the trial.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/co...aylor-greene-criticism-chauvin-trial-n1264534

Exactly, the defense was essentially introducing it to make it part of the record, although I believe they brought it up after the jury left the room but I'm not sure if they can be made aware of it. Still, if the verdict comes back guilty, Waters' remarks could potentially be used as ammunition for appeals.

Link takes me to something about Kansas.

Well, that's weird, I just updated it.

 

[Touring Mars]

The BBC showed a large chunk of the defence's closing statement live on BBC News 24 last night, with unedited audio/video police footage of Floyd's arrest and death. This is incredibly unusual... I can't think of another time, esp. before the watershed, where live BBC News shows unedited footage of someone's death, and audio of people repeatedly swearing...

It's fairly obvious that Floyd was resisting (severely) in the early stages, but he's also clearly very distressed and/or borderline psychotic. As the police are trying to get him into the police car, he says that he is "going to die" and that he's "claustrophobic", that he's "just had Covid", as well as saying repeatedly that he "can't breathe"... even when he doesn't appear to be under heavy (or indeed) any restraint. This latter point is pretty crucial, because it must have cast some doubt in the minds of the police when he was being restrained later about whether he was really unable to breathe or not, even if he was genuinely unable to breathe.

It was horrible to watch, and it's horrible what happened to George Floyd, but I won't be surprised if Chauvin is found not guilty.

It is sad that the city is basically preparing for riots either way. Schoolkids are going to be home learning for a few days after the verdict, and that alone is a sad indictment of the whole affair.

-

edit: And surely this cannot be wise...

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/20/politics/biden-george-floyd-brother/index.html

At least the jury could not have heard Biden's statement, but still...

 

[Joey D]

Wow, they already reached a verdict, that was insanely quick and apparently, it was a clean verdict too which means no holdouts and isn't a hung jury.

 

[Touring Mars]

Wow, they already reached a verdict, that was insanely quick and apparently, it was a clean verdict too which means no holdouts and isn't a hung jury.

Given that the Minnesota Attorney General and George Floyd's family have been given 20 minutes to address the court, and Joe Biden is also going to give a national address, I think it is fairly safe to assume that Chauvin will be found guilty on all counts.

 

[Joey D]

Given that the Minnesota Attorney General and George Floyd's family have been given 20 minutes to address the court, and Joe Biden is also going to give a national address, I think it is fairly safe to assume that Chauvin will be found guilty on all counts.

Looks like you were correct. Honestly, I'm surprised that he was guilty on all counts. I think it's the correct verdict, but I didn't expect it.

 

[Famine]

And throw away the key.

 

[Jezza819]

 

[UKMikey]

I wonder who'll be the first Chauvinist internet blowhard to come up with the hot take that this verdict was fabricated to preserve public order. I double dare one of them to say it. C'mon.

 

[Tornado]

I wonder who'll be the first Chauvinist internet blowhard to come up with the hot take that this verdict was fabricated to preserve public order. I double dare one of them to say it. C'mon.

Pelosi was stupid enough to thank Floyd for being murdered because it proves the justice system works after Chauvin was convicted. That's not quite the same thing, but no doubt will lead to it.

 

[McLaren]

Pelosi & Maxine really didn't do this trial any justice. They both probably should've sat this one out.

 

[UKMikey]

Pelosi was stupid enough to thank Floyd for being murdered because it proves the justice system works after Chauvin was convicted. That's not quite the same thing, but no doubt will lead to it.

People seem to be falling over themselves to condemn her remarks as tone deaf. Good luck to the right trying to pin this on all lefties.

Meanwhile President Biden has phoned George Floyd’s family.



I can't imagine Trump and Pence making a similar gesture. Unfortunately it'll probably be lost in the rush to censure Pelosi and Waters (as it seems to be on this thread so far).

 

[Blitz24]

Pelosi & Maxine really didn't do this trial any justice. They both probably should've sat this one out.

It is possible for a politician to not make a comment. Unfortunately, they do not know how to do that and usually proceed to put a foot in their mouth.

 

[Tornado]

People seem to be falling over themselves to condemn her remarks as tone deaf.

She held a press conference where she gave a pre-planned speech where she even thanked him for the things he did while he was videotaped being murdered by a police officer. Even by Pelosi standards that's out of touch rich white woman stuff. No falling necessary.





Idiots on Fox and Newsmax were already going to claim it was a show trial. They probably already had by the time she took a lectern. Pelosi still didn't have to open her mouth.

 

[Scaff]

Verdict is in.

Guilty on all charges.

I know its already been said, but I had to write it down to make sure it eally happened.

 

[McLaren]

She held a press conference where she gave a pre-planned speech where she even thanked him for the things he did while he was videotaped being murdered by a police officer. Even by Pelosi standards that's out of touch rich white women stuff. No falling necessary.

She's being condemned quite a bit from the left as well, which shows that her own party's base recognizes those words were not necessary.

 

[UKMikey]

Yeah, it really sounds like a laughing matter... not.

She's being condemned quite a bit from the left as well, which shows that her own party's base recognizes those words were not necessary.

Yep, that was my entire point to begin with. I didn't even look at what right wingers had to say.

Al Sharpton:

 

[Tornado]

Yeah, it really sounds like a laughing matter... not.

I was laughing at you, and the nonsense you posted like this:

Unfortunately it'll probably be lost in the rush to censure Pelosi and Waters (as it seems to be on this thread so far).

You can find what Pelosi said to be tactless and absurd pandering without jumping on the Republican hypocrisy train to cast every legislator who said Chauvin should be found guilty out of government office.

 

[PeterJB]

It is possible for a politician to not make a comment. Unfortunately, they do not know how to do that and usually proceed to put a foot in their mouth.

The Minneapolis mayor has come out with a slightly less blunt "the city is better because you're dead"

 

[UKMikey]

You can find what Pelosi said to be tactless and absurd pandering without jumping on the Republican train to cast every legislator who said Chauvin should be found guilty out of government office.

I'm not jumping on any train. The people I saw condemning Pelosi were on the left, not the right. I think most people found it tactless and absurd, not funny.

 

[Northstar]

It seems like once they announced they reached a verdict everyone bailed out of work as traffic was insanely bad leaving the cities compared to what it's usually like at 3PM. Thankfully it seems everyone fear will have been for naught.

I know this case was a bit of an oddity since there was an insane amount of footage and the death wasn't caused by shooting, but hopefully this is a turning point when it comes to holding police accountable.

 

[Tornado]

And yet now you're on your third post defending them.

 

[UKMikey]

And yet now you're on your third post defending them.

The reactions I just posted from Biden and Sharpton appear to be sensitive and compassionate. Pelosi's remarks were tone deaf and tasteless. Not once did I defend them on this thread.

I just thought it was a bit unfortunate that people seemed to be ignoring the former to concentrate on the latter. If that's nonsense, then I'll stand by it.

 

[TexRex]

I wonder who'll be the first Chauvinist internet blowhard to come up with the hot take that this verdict was fabricated to preserve public order. I double dare one of them to say it. C'mon.

This isn't quite that, but danged if it isn't equally entertaining.

 

[Joey D]

Blu Fu? Is that like COVID-21: The Electric Boogaloo or something?

I'm also fine if all the cops with the mindset of Chauvin resign en masse (not en masses). It might weed out some of the cops that have no place on a police force.

 

[NotThePrez]

This isn't quite that, but danged if it isn't equally entertaining.

Right-wing nuts: Do the crime, do the time.
General populace: K.
Right-wing nuts: No, not like that.

Also, if some cops are willing to resign due to this, then good riddance. They're more interested in being power hungry, not to protect and serve.

 

[TexRex]

 

[ryzno]

Right-wing nuts: Do the crime, do the time.

That line is used by everyone...including people who served time.
I can vouch.
But we say: Don't do the crime, if you can't do the time.

 

[NotThePrez]

That line is used by everyone...including people who served time.
I can vouch.
But we say: Don't do the crime, if you can't do the time.

Oh, I'm aware. I'm primarily attempting to point out/make fun of the double-standard held by the right when that line (including your variant) applies to one of their own, rather than the people that they don't like. Hell, people are advocating for police to quit because they can't deal with the idea that consequences also apply to those not perceived as criminals.

It's infuriating, hilarious and sad all at once.