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    Two Visions of America by Don Jans

    The Conviction of Ex Minneapolis Police Officer Chauvin – A Slam Dunk?

     

     

    By Al X

    How much do you really know about the circumstances surrounding the death of George Floyd, may he rest in peace?

    Did the civil wrongful death payout awarding $27 million by the Minneapolis City Council to Floyd’s family strike you as suspiciously timed, considering that jury selection was in progress for the upcoming trial of Derek Chauvin? The ex-Minneapolis Police officer faces charges of second-degree unintentional murder, second-degree manslaughter, and a recently reinstated count of third-degree murder. A conviction on the first, most serious charge could result in 40 years in prison.

    There is, after all, the excruciating to watch nearly eight-minute-long video of Chauvin with his knee pinned on Floyd’s neck. Slam dunk conviction, right? At least it is according to the mainstream media, which also (with straight faces) reported subsequent BLM riots were mostly peaceful.

    Not so fast.

    Was Chauvin a complete imbecile for applying the neck restraint for so long? Absolutely. But if you do a little research into the case, it is far from the no-brainer murder conviction that Don Lemon wants you to believe it is. Even without mention of George Floyd’s extensive criminal past, there are indeed troubling perplexities concerning the entire episode which must be exposed to the harsh light of detailed examination by impartial – if any still exist – jurors in a court of law.

    There are reasons barricades are being put-up all-over Minneapolis. Will any verdict satisfy the unruly crowds already gathering outside the courthouse? Are their actions aimed at jury intimidation?

    What if Chauvin gets off? Impossible as it may seem to Rachel Maddow and BLM leaders lusting for blood, it could happen.

    Did you ever have a look at the autopsy report? There were two versions, one paid for by the Floyd family. The other autopsy completed by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office (no longer available online hmmm), states reason of death being “cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression.” Not exactly sure what that means, but there was no indication of strangulation or asphyxiation listed. Floyd had a lot of health issues, including coronary artery disease, hypertensive heart diseases, sickle cell anemia and testing positive (post-mortem) for coronavirus infection. Found in his system, among myriad drugs and alcohol was an extremely large amount of the ultrapotent opioid Fentanyl. Side effects of Fentanyl ingestion may include, among other things: panic attacks, feeling anxious / disoriented / confused, fast heartbeat or difficulty breathing.

    Now if you think I’m splitting hairs because I’m racist or have a vendetta against Floyd, you are mistaken. Did you know that there is another video of George and the police officers, taken prior to the infamous one you had to suffer through innumerable times on the CBS Evening News? This bodycam video is at minimum 30 minutes long and shows the cops initial approach and what happened afterward. There is much back and forth between the agitated police officers, onlookers, and agonized suspect, who is clearly resisting arrest. But it’s striking that Floyd, cuffed and not wanting to get into the police cruiser, remarks on numerous occasions that he’s claustrophobic and repeats he’s “not that kind of guy.” Starting at 8:50 George states he’s “going to stop breathing, while still standing. Floyd insists later, starting at 9:44 that he “can’t breathe,” many times. He was by then in the backseat with no knee on his neck. Why couldn’t he breathe? Later he is on the ground, calling for his mother, as the knee restraint (allowed then under MPD guidance) is applied, again bemoaning his difficulty breathing. It is extremely hard to watch. I have much sympathy for George Floyd and the police officers involved in this dreadful situation.

    The judge presiding over the murder trial set for March 29, has agreed to allow limited evidence of a 2019 police stop where the policeman states that Floyd swallowed drugs when he arrived. Did this also happen in 2020, with George quickly ingesting the large amount of Fentanyl, resulting in a bewildered, tormented state?

    Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison decided not to release the police bodycam footage to the media or public. It was leaked, many weeks after the incident (and countless riots), by the British Daily Mail. When asked why he withheld the obviously crucial video evidence, Ellison remarked that he wanted to “…safeguard the prosecution.”

    There was no perceived duty to safeguard and calm the public? Imagine how much death, destruction, and racial animosity our country might have been spared had Ellison done the honorable thing and released the footage with a detailed explanation of events contained therein, instead of caving to whatever selfishly stupefying motives caused him to withhold this game changing video.

    If I could find this information online with little effort, imagine what the defense might discover with all their available resources – if they are determined to fairly represent Chauvin.

    Get ready, Minneapolis.

    Katy, bar the (store) door – again.

    Al X resides in Ventura County


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    3 COMMENTS

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    C E Voigtsberger
    C E Voigtsberger
    2 years ago

    I thought the TV coverage was very interesting. We only saw testimony from the prosecution witnesses on TV. The brief shots were of snips of testimony with major implications of convicting Chauvin. Did we see that testimony totally trashed on cross-examination? Noooo.

    Based on my experience working in court the way I see the case is as follows: A lawyer whose main efforts in the legal arena are enhancing his political career. Does he have any kind of experience in the criminal trial area? I haven’t seen his CV to be able to assess his credentials as a criminal prosecution attorney actually trying cases as opposed to spending time in the office currying favor in administrative positions.

    Contrast that to the defense attorney who also represents the cops’ union. Do you think the cops know who the best criminal defense attorney in Minneapolis or Minnesota is? You betcha. They go up against criminal defense attorneys each time they have a case go to trail. I haven’t seen his professional trial experience either, but I would guess that he has had extensive criminal trial experience.

    I have heard from alternative court observers other than the mainstream media that he is crushing the AG’s witnesses on cross-examination of which we have seen nothing in the mainstream media.

    All the rioters watching mainstream media think the prosecution is proving the case. They don’t realize there is an equal opportunity for the defense to demonstrate on cross-examination that they just flat don’t know what they are talking about.

    An acquittal would not surprise me. A conviction by a jury intimidated by a judge who refuses to sequester them during a volatile trial with the threat of violence hanging in the air strikes me as providing the defense with grounds for a reversal if a conviction is obtained. I can’t predict the verdict. Only a fool predicts verdicts. I have seen too many jury verdicts that were a complete surprise to everyone. I have seen jury verdicts where obviously the jury totally ignored the evidence and the jury instructions. How else can one explain a jury verdict of not guilty of being armed at the time of the offense when the clear, uncontroverted testimony was that the defendant shot his wife seven times with a .45 acp Colt semi-automatic pistol? Just one outstanding example of a jury totally ignoring uncontroverted evidence.

    Mike Smith
    Mike Smith
    2 years ago

    George Floyd –who was a verifiable drug addict— died in Minneapolis but came from Houston.

    The major metro cities are what is killing America.

    https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/10/city-killing-america-daniel-greenfield/

    Where is the discussion on this?

    Michael A....
    Michael A....
    2 years ago

    The Biden Administration apparently agrees with the choices George Floyd made in his life. When spiteful Biden (OR SOMEBODY) made the decision to counter the awful Trump and declare our Sothern border OPEN, drug “importers’ cheered! Apparently Black Lives DONT Matter to Biden and Co. as long Black Lives can be EXPLOITED for political gain.
    b

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