Derek Chauvin trial has Minneapolis ‘on edge,’ says Rep. Ilhan Omar – New York Post

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The trial of former cop Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd has left Minneapolis “on edge,” Rep. Ilhan Omar said Sunday.

During an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Omar, the city’s congressional representative, told host Jake Tapper that the trial’s start has re-opened the emotional wound from Floyd’s Memorial Day 2020 death.

“It’s been re-traumatizing,” said Omar, a Democrat. “It’s been really hard. I’ve tried to avoid watching. I know a lot of us here in Minneapolis have done that. … You also want to know the details and hear from the witnesses.

“I think the one part that’s stayed with me is the fact that everyone who took the witness stand said they felt helpless.”

Floyd, 46, was stopped by police after allegedly passing a bogus $20 bill at a Minneapolis store.

While attempting to arrest Floyd, who was black, one of the responding officers, Derek Chauvin, who is white, knelt on Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes, even as he gasped that he could not breathe, pleaded for his life and eventually became unresponsive.

Floyd’s caught-on-video death launched coast-to-coast protests — and, sometimes, violent unrest — against police brutality and racial injustice.

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US-RACISM-POLICE-TRIAL-FLOYD

A poster with George Floyd’s picture and a sign reads that “I can’t Breathe” hang from a security fence outside the Hennepin County Government Center on March 30, 2021.

KEREM YUCEL/AFP via Getty Images

Trial of Derek Chauvin

Trial of Derek Chauvin

Posters of George Floyd are zip tied to the security fence around the heavily secured Hennepin County Courthouse during the trial of Derek Chauvin.

Glen Stubbe, Star Tribune via Getty Images

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floyd1

Floyd died while being taken into Minneapolis Police custody.

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Nearly a year later, the ongoing trial of the since-fired Chauvin, 45, on charges of murder and manslaughter has revived tension in the city, Omar said.

“The community is on edge,” she said Sunday when asked about the possibility of Chauvin not being convicted. “We have seen justice not delivered in our community for many years.

“I think that there is a lot of confidence in [Minnesota] Attorney General Keith Ellison and the prosecutors in this case, but we are all eagerly awaiting to see how this trial shakes out,” Omar added.

George Floyd Jurors Burdens

George Floyd Jurors Burdens

Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes, even as he gasped that he could not breathe, pleaded for his life and eventually became unresponsive.

Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office via AP, File

George Floyd Arrest and Death

George Floyd Arrest and Death

Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes, even as he gasped that he could not breathe, pleaded for his life and eventually became unresponsive.

© Darnella Frazier/Courtesy Facebook via ZUMA Wire

The Hennepin County Government Center is seen the day before open statements in the trial of former police Derek Chauvin, in Minneapolis

The Hennepin County Government Center is seen the day before open statements in the trial of former police Derek Chauvin, in Minneapolis

The Hennepin County Government Center is seen the day before open statements in the trial of former police Derek Chauvin.

REUTERS/Nicholas Pfosi

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The lawmaker, however, accused Chauvin’s defense of attacking Floyd’s character in the trial’s first week.

“It’s been really horrendous to watch the defense put George Floyd on trial instead of the former police officer who’s charged with his murder,” she said.

The trial kicked off last Monday and is expected to last several more weeks.

Source Article from https://nypost.com/2021/04/04/derek-chauvin-trial-has-minneapolis-on-edge-says-ilhan-omar/

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