In Front of Our Eyes

After his murder conviction, former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin is sentenced. George Floyd's family members, including his young daughter, Gianna, describe for the judge how Floyd's violent death continues to disrupt their lives.

Derek Chauvin’s conviction of murder and manslaughter is expected to be only the beginning as activists and George Floyd’s family promise to keep working for change in police departments in Minnesota and beyond. Chauvin’s trial also saw a number of police officers testifying against him.

The murder trial of Derek Chauvin in the killing of George Floyd enters the final stages, with closing arguments set for Monday. The defense rested its case on Thursday after Chauvin said he would not take the stand in his own defense. And the Twin Cities area is rocked by another police killing of a Black man. This is a special edition of Minnesota Today for Saturday, April 17, 2021. Hosted by Nina Moini. Theme music by Gary Meister.

Prosecution makes the case in Derek Chauvin's murder trial that George Floyd's death had more to do with the officers' weight pressing him to the pavement as he tried to breathe, and not underlying health or drug use issues. 

Emotion overflowed in the first week of testimony as the court saw video that showed what happened before, during and after George Floyd's death. Bystanders testified that they wanted to do more to save the Minneapolis man. And Derek Chauvin's former Minneapolis police superior said kneeling on a handcuffed, prone person does not fall within training.

A criminal trial carried live breaks tradition as attorneys prepare to deliver opening statements on Monday. Also, a series of healing events aims to help people who continue to experience trauma that some expect will be heightened by exposure to the details of George Floyd’s killing last May.

Before George Floyd was killed, the police killings of other Black men in Minnesota generated public pressure to prosecute the officers. MPR News reporter Jon Collins has covered several of these shootings and their aftermaths. He explains the significance of the current trial over George Floyd’s death.

After George Floyd was killed the world watched, and the world reacted. Part of that reaction was a shift in how some people talk about racism. MPR News reporter Brandt Williams talks with his cousin about the killing of George Floyd, and how its capture on video made it impossible to look the other way.

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George Floyd’s family and friends say when they saw him take his last breath on video, they were left in tears. They remember him as an athlete, a gentle giant, and as someone who didn’t deserve to be killed. MPR News reporter Riham Feshir brings us a remembrance of George Floyd through the voices of those who knew him, and who watched his televised death in shock.

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In March 2021, the first of the former officers charged in the killing of George Floyd will go on trial in Minnesota. Police officers are rarely prosecuted in such cases—and the world will be watching. MPR News, which has followed this case in detail from the beginning, will bring listeners updates on this monumental case, and the consequences it holds for the city and the country. Created in collaboration with American Public Media.

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