‘Gut-wrenching’: Ex-Minneapolis police chief remembers watching George Floyd video

Former Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo recalled the evening that modified the course of his life and profession. A late-night name from a neighborhood activist urged him to observe a video circulating on social media—one which confirmed Officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd’s neck for over 9 minutes because the Black man pleaded, “I can’t breathe.”

“It was absolutely gut-wrenching,” Arradondo recalled in a latest interview forward of the fifth anniversary of Floyd’s dying. What he noticed on video clashed with early studies from inside his division, and he instantly realized the encounter would have profound penalties for Minneapolis and the world.

“I served for 32 years,” mentioned Arradondo, the town’s first Black police chief. “But there’s no doubt May 25th, 2020, is a defining moment for me in my public service career.”

Floyd’s homicide exterior a comfort retailer triggered international outrage, mass protests, and calls for for police reform. Arradondo made the controversial choice, alongside Mayor Jacob Frey, to let the Third Precinct burn in the course of the unrest, citing a scarcity of assets to defend it safely. Today, a lot of the Lake Street space nonetheless bears seen scars—charred buildings, empty heaps, and boarded-up storefronts.

During Chauvin’s 2021 trial, Arradondo took the uncommon step of testifying towards one in all his personal officers, breaking the so-called “blue wall of silence.” He later retired in 2022 however continues to replicate on what extra he may have executed.

“I would have pushed harder and sooner to dismantle the toxic culture,” he mentioned. “And I would have elevated community voices long ignored.”

Arradondo’s new ebook, Chief Rondo: Securing Justice for the Murder of George Floyd, closes with a heartfelt apology to Floyd’s daughter, Gianna:
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for your father being taken from you.”

(With inputs from The Associated Press)