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Five years to the day George Floyd was murdered. What has improved? [1]

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Date: 2025-05-25

It was five years ago today, May 25, 2020, that George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin by kneeling on his neck for 9 minutes, suffocating him.

There have been calls to have Trump pardon Chauvin by the likes of Ben Shapiro, Elon Musk, and Marjorie Taylor Greene. This would only cover the federal civil rights violation sentence, which is 21 years in prison, running concurrently with the 22 years for murder. The pardon for state murder charges could only come after parole board review and Gov. Tim Walz signing it. That's not going to happen.

Trump's schedule today is golf until 5pm at Bedminster, then fly back to Washington. Would Trump sign a pardon for Chavin today, knowing he could do nothing about the state murder charges? I thought so at first when people were calling for his pardon and Trump has openly espoused police brutality as a way to cut down crime. There's also the $940 million in pro bono work that he suggested could be used, hidden in an executive order. That could be used to appeal the state murder conviction, but it would fail. The murder is on body camera video and a bystander's cell phone recording.

After his death, protests broke out nationwide. Calls for an end to police brutality. Police departments with a history of violence against suspects dealt with consent decrees to monitor their actions going forward. This led to calls for mandatory body cams.

Bills were introduced in the U.S. Congress to limit the legal defense of "qualified immunity." This principle shielded law enforcement from constitutional violations. Nothing passed through Congress.

Congress still has not passed any legislation seeking to reform, let alone abolish, qualified immunity. The Supreme Court has rejected dozens of cases asking it to do the same. The doctrine, first adopted by the Supreme Court in 1967, gives government officials the benefit of the doubt when they violate the constitution.

This principle should never, never extend to Trump's willful violations. It's one thing to make the wrong decision in a split second. It's entirely different situation when the violation is planned.

When a plaintiff files a federal civil rights claim, the defendant --- including police officers facing excessive force claims under the Fourth Amendment --- can get off the hook by arguing that it was not "clearly established" at the time of the alleged violation that its actions were unconstitutional. If qualified immunity is granted, the lawsuit is dismissed and the plaintiffs never get a chance to either negotiate a settlement or go to trial.

Donald Trump has made it clear that police brutality is okay with his April 28th executive order titled: Strengthening and Unleashing America's Law Enforcement To Pursue Criminals And Protect Innocent Civilians. In section 2, Trump grants police pro bono services to defend their cases. The order covers a lot of bases, including defining diversity, equity and inclusion as discrimination and civil rights violations.

Minneapolis is still debating how to honor George Floyd. The corner where he died is condoned of by concrete barriers at George Floyd Square.

George Floyd Square, Minneapolis. MN.

George's uncle, Roger Floyd, would like it to be a pedestrian plaza, with a memorial, shops and a library.

The mayor and and many businessmen want an open street plan to increase traffic and reintoduce major bus routes that no longer stop in the area. It's a double edged sword and the debate goes on.

Earlier this month, the Pew Research Center found that 72% of Americans say "the increased focus on race and racial inequity after Floyd's killing did not lead to changes that improve the lives of black people." The popularity of the Black Lives Matter movement has dipped 15% from its height in June 2020.

The Dept. of Justice has halted all police oversight programs under Donald Trump. Even the one for Minneapolis. But Minneapolis is going ahead with the recommendations made during the Biden administration, anyway.

Mayors and Governors have to go ahead with their own plans as civil rights has been redefined by the Trump DOJ to mean rights for white males only. It's a twisted view that has turned the meaning of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 on it's head. The start was SCOTUS saying that civil rights discrimination didn't exist anymore so affirmative action was outlawed and colleges and universities have been grappling with it ever since.

So, what has improved since George Floyd's murder? Not much. The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021 passed the House, but died in the Senate. Yes, the Republicans were behind that.

With Trump as president and both houses controlled by Republicans, we're not going to see anything till after Jan. 3rd, 2027, when a new House of Representatives is installed, which can only go Democratic, just with the effects of the "big beautiful bill." 22 Republican senate seats are also up for re-election, and the budget bill could hurt them, too.

Minneapolis remembers George Floyd. So do people who care about civil rights. When it becomes civil rights only for white men, something is drastically wrong and we need to fight injustice wherever we can.

That's the least we can do for George Floyd and ourselves.

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