Everybody is totally entitled to a fair trial.

Looking at the video evidence, ‘yesterday’, which is the first time I have seen it, shown at the opening remarks of the prosecution team, is absolutely damning.

You are watching a man in handcuffs, and grounded, slowly DIE. It is heart wrenching. It is there in full video evidence. His life is being drained from him, by the knee of the policeman, on the man’s neck.

It is a hard watch, but I ask people to see it.

One thought, if this ex policeman is acquitted, it will cause riots in America, never seen before.

Everybody is totally entitled to a fair trial.

Looking at the video evidence, ‘yesterday’, which is the first time I have seen it, shown at the opening remarks of the prosecution team, is absolutely damning.

You are watching a man in handcuffs, and grounded, slowly DIE. It is heart wrenching. It is there in full video evidence. His life is being drained from him, by the knee of the policeman, on the man’s neck.

It is a hard watch, but I ask people to see it.

One thought, if this ex policeman is acquitted, it will cause riots in America, never seen before.

To be honest, I genuinely don't think this will turn out to be a fair trial - both for the accused officer, and for the family of George Floyd. And (and I say this with absolutely no disrespect, Martyn, please believe me on this point) your OP raises my concern for the outcome of the trial: you start by saying everyone is entitled to a fair trial, but then without hearing the case for the defence, either consciously or sub-consciously, you've already come to your conclusion about Chauvin's guilt. This bothers me because if that's the opinion which everyone expects then it isn't going to be a fair trial - Chauvin better be found guilty, otherwise there'll be riots!

Let the defence make their case. It could well be that what's seen in the video is unequivocally the facts, that Chauvin intentionally used excessive force which led to Floyd's death. But it could well be, as per their opening statements, that Floyd's death was caused by other factors and not Chauvin's kneeling technique (which I think is allowed as a police holding technique, if the officer is correctly trained in it) - in which case it could well be accidental death - or it could well be that Chauvin did this with the intention of harming George Floyd (in which case it isn't). Until that happens and after the jury have reached their decision, I won't watch the full video.

Everybody is totally entitled to a fair trial.

Looking at the video evidence, ‘yesterday’, which is the first time I have seen it, shown at the opening remarks of the prosecution team, is absolutely damning.

You are watching a man in handcuffs, and grounded, slowly DIE. It is heart wrenching. It is there in full video evidence. His life is being drained from him, by the knee of the policeman, on the man’s neck.

It is a hard watch, but I ask people to see it.

One thought, if this ex policeman is acquitted, it will cause riots in America, never seen before.

To be honest, I genuinely don't think this will turn out to be a fair trial - both for the accused officer, and for the family of George Floyd. And (and I say this with absolutely no disrespect, Martyn, please believe me on this point) your OP raises my concern for the outcome of the trial: you start by saying everyone is entitled to a fair trial, but then without hearing the case for the defence, either consciously or sub-consciously, you've already come to your conclusion about Chauvin's guilt. This bothers me because if that's the opinion which everyone expects then it isn't going to be a fair trial - Chauvin better be found guilty, otherwise there'll be riots!

Let the defence make their case. It could well be that what's seen in the video is unequivocally the facts, that Chauvin intentionally used excessive force which led to Floyd's death. But it could well be, as per their opening statements, that Floyd's death was caused by other factors and not Chauvin's kneeling technique (which I think is allowed as a police holding technique, if the officer is correctly trained in it) - in which case it could well be accidental death - or it could well be that Chauvin did this with the intention of harming George Floyd (in which case it isn't). Until that happens and after the jury have reached their decision, I won't watch the full video.

Hi Quinny,

Basically, I agree with everything you say. Plus, I intentionally ‘jumped the gun’, and made an assessment of the verdict.

Purely on the basis, to have some discussion , and predict what may happen, if he is acquitted.
The trial is being shown worldwide, and also America is on ‘trial’.

The ex-policeman (will never say his name), will probably not get a fair evidence trial, as the ‘evidence’, is totally against him. He is also ‘ guilty’, in the courtroom of public opinion.

What I find scary is the defence’s opening remarks, and thus their main argument, that the police officer was doing precisely what he was trained to do.

What I find scary is the defence’s opening remarks, and thus their main argument, that the police officer was doing precisely what he was trained to do.

I believe their manual has been updated after the event, but certainly at the time the Minneapolis police procedure guide listed that as one of two restraint techniques officers could use. It wasn't a technique widely used across 'Murica, though.

I forced myself to watch quite long passages of the video several times when it was first in the news, and what struck me above all else was - that awful phrase - the banality of evil: the matter-of-fact bloody casualness of the whole proceeding, and not just in the way Chauvin himself behaved, with one hand in pocket; but also in the demeanour of the three other officers who were in close attendance throughout. A fellow human being was clearly in serious physical and emotional distress and dying right in front of them, but it just didn't matter.

I know it's been said a million times already, but just imagine "the optics" if Floyd had been white.

I forced myself to watch quite long passages of the video several times when it was first in the news, and what struck me above all else was - that awful phrase - the banality of evil: the matter-of-fact bloody casualness of the whole proceeding, and not just in the way Chauvin himself behaved, with one hand in pocket; but also in the demeanour of the three other officers who were in close attendance throughout. A fellow human being was clearly in serious physical and emotional distress and dying right in front of them, but it just didn't matter.

I know it's been said a million times already, but just imagine "the optics" if Floyd had been white.

What a load of boll@cks. A similar thing has happened to a white person and there wasnt anything near the sort of reaction we've seen here. No rioting in the streets, mass coverage on a global scale in the press or vilification of the police. I wonder why that is?

I forced myself to watch quite long passages of the video several times when it was first in the news, and what struck me above all else was - that awful phrase - the banality of evil: the matter-of-fact bloody casualness of the whole proceeding, and not just in the way Chauvin himself behaved, with one hand in pocket; but also in the demeanour of the three other officers who were in close attendance throughout. A fellow human being was clearly in serious physical and emotional distress and dying right in front of them, but it just didn't matter.

I know it's been said a million times already, but just imagine "the optics" if Floyd had been white.

What a load of boll@cks. A similar thing has happened to a white person and there wasnt anything near the sort of reaction we've seen here. No rioting in the streets, mass coverage on a global scale in the press or vilification of the police. I wonder why that is?

Potty, that is the point MickyD is making. It would be a whole different scenario if he had been white.

I forced myself to watch quite long passages of the video several times when it was first in the news, and what struck me above all else was - that awful phrase - the banality of evil: the matter-of-fact bloody casualness of the whole proceeding, and not just in the way Chauvin himself behaved, with one hand in pocket; but also in the demeanour of the three other officers who were in close attendance throughout. A fellow human being was clearly in serious physical and emotional distress and dying right in front of them, but it just didn't matter.

I know it's been said a million times already, but just imagine "the optics" if Floyd had been white.

What a load of boll@cks. A similar thing has happened to a white person and there wasnt anything near the sort of reaction we've seen here. No rioting in the streets, mass coverage on a global scale in the press or vilification of the police. I wonder why that is?

Potty, that is the point MickyD is making. It would be a whole different scenario if he had been white.

I'm not sure he is making that point at all Martyn. He says, 'A fellow human being was clearly in serious physical and emotional distress and dying right in front of them, but it just didn't matter.' Suggesting that if it were a white person then it would matter and perhaps people/the other police officers would behave/act differently. I'm saying that isn't the case and also added bits about the aftermath/reaction. More than happy to be corrected though...

I forced myself to watch quite long passages of the video several times when it was first in the news, and what struck me above all else was - that awful phrase - the banality of evil: the matter-of-fact bloody casualness of the whole proceeding, and not just in the way Chauvin himself behaved, with one hand in pocket; but also in the demeanour of the three other officers who were in close attendance throughout. A fellow human being was clearly in serious physical and emotional distress and dying right in front of them, but it just didn't matter.

I know it's been said a million times already, but just imagine "the optics" if Floyd had been white.

What a load of boll@cks. A similar thing has happened to a white person and there wasnt anything near the sort of reaction we've seen here. No rioting in the streets, mass coverage on a global scale in the press or vilification of the police. I wonder why that is?

Any examples then?

I forced myself to watch quite long passages of the video several times when it was first in the news, and what struck me above all else was - that awful phrase - the banality of evil: the matter-of-fact bloody casualness of the whole proceeding, and not just in the way Chauvin himself behaved, with one hand in pocket; but also in the demeanour of the three other officers who were in close attendance throughout. A fellow human being was clearly in serious physical and emotional distress and dying right in front of them, but it just didn't matter.

I know it's been said a million times already, but just imagine "the optics" if Floyd had been white.

But after all he was arrested under suspicion of using a forged 20 dollar bill!!

I forced myself to watch quite long passages of the video several times when it was first in the news, and what struck me above all else was - that awful phrase - the banality of evil: the matter-of-fact bloody casualness of the whole proceeding, and not just in the way Chauvin himself behaved, with one hand in pocket; but also in the demeanour of the three other officers who were in close attendance throughout. A fellow human being was clearly in serious physical and emotional distress and dying right in front of them, but it just didn't matter.

I know it's been said a million times already, but just imagine "the optics" if Floyd had been white.

What a load of boll@cks. A similar thing has happened to a white person and there wasnt anything near the sort of reaction we've seen here. No rioting in the streets, mass coverage on a global scale in the press or vilification of the police. I wonder why that is?

Any examples then?

This guy was knelt on in 2016. Slightly different as he called the Police after coming off his meds. The police laughed as he died. I used Google as I'd only heard anecdotal evidence of it.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... tony-timpa

It`s called positional Asphyxia where the compression doesn`t allow the chest to rise and fall, in all training in restraint procedures it is warned about.