Minnesotans with loved ones killed by police spoke Thursday about the state Republican Party holding a public prayer for Derek Chauvin, the former police officer in prison for the killing of George Floyd.
“You all had the opportunity to honor the fallen soldiers or the children who lost their lives,” said Courtney Ross, Floyd’s friend, who was visibly moved through “tears of rage.” “Instead, you took valuable time to intentionally harm everyone who loved Floyd. And every other family who has lost a loved one at the hands of police.”
Valerie Casteel, mother Philando CastileThe 32-year-old school cafeteria worker who was shot and killed by a Minnesota police officer in 2016 echoed Ross, calling the act “the most hurtful thing you can do.”
“Would you give a moment of silence to a murderer? Come on,” Castile said.
The two women were among those who spoke at a news conference organized by the Twin Cities Alliance for Justice.
The Minnesota Republican Party nominating convention held a moment of silence last weekend Look.
When this action became public knowledge, it sparked intense backlash.
Racial justice groups, civil rights advocates and Democratic public officials quickly condemned party officials, accusing them of blindly supporting law enforcement and disrespecting Floyd and his family.
Chauvin has been in federal prison since 2021, after being convicted of killing Floyd six years ago. A cellphone video of Chauvin holding his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than 9 minutes despite Floyd’s pleas of “I can’t breathe” sparked numerous protests over racial accountability that dominated the latter half of 2020.
On the one year anniversary of Floyd’s death, people He knelt in a minute of silence at the site, It symbolizes the 9 minutes and 29 seconds that Floyd was pinned.
A delegate at the Minnesota Republican Party caucus in Duluth on Saturday suggested recognizing Chauvin, according to reports from local media. This happened days after the sixth anniversary of Floyd’s death.
“The Moment of Silent Prayer was a spontaneous movement from the convention floor. It was not part of the official convention platform, was not proposed by convention Chairman Danny Nadeau, and was not a statement from party leadership,” the Minnesota Republican Party said in a statement.
A spokesman for the Minnesota Republican Party did not immediately return an email Thursday seeking additional comment.
Castile said it doesn’t matter if only one person participates, it still hurts.
She said: “I am proud of those who did not remain silent.” “Those who did this should be reprimanded in some way.”
Ross urged Republicans who did not participate to hold their peers accountable.
“I’m speaking to the few of you who thought this was wrong. Please stand up,” Ross said. “You are public servants.”
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who led the state’s prosecution for Chauvin, said in a statement this week that he was “deeply saddened and frankly shocked” by the prayer.
“This decision dishonors the memory of George Floyd and hurts his loved ones once again. As the lead prosecutor whose team presented this case to a jury of twelve Minnesotans and then prevailed at every step of the appeals process, I am deeply troubled by what this says about the state of our politics,” Ellison said.
Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, the lawyers who represented Floyd’s family in the wrongful death lawsuit, were “disgusted by this disrespect.” They also called on the Minnesota Republican Party to rescind the moment of silence and apologize to Floyd’s family.
“The audacity of the Minnesota Republican Party to honor an individual convicted by a jury of his peers of murdering another human being, while simultaneously violating his professional oath to protect and serve his community, is disgusting,” they said in a statement.
Terrence Floyd, Floyd’s New York-based brother, said via text message on Thursday that he was “glad to see people are still fighting with us for full justice.”
Chauvin’s moment of silence fits a pattern Flashpoints of tension when conservatives react to police violence With “Back the Blue” initiatives. Long before 2020, when the killing of George Floyd spurred the largest racial justice demonstrations since the civil rights movement, some officers were symbols of “law and order” or anti-Black Lives Matter sentiment.
For example, in 2014, after Darren Wilson — a white former police officer in Ferguson, Missouri — shot 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was black, a GoFundMe raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the officer’s family and legal defense. It exceeded the total amount raised for the Brown family. Wilson ultimately did not face criminal charges or federal civil rights offenses.
Officers in high-profile cases in which police were killed Laquan McDonald In Chicago and Eric Garner In New York, it also received significant support from law enforcement unions, which recast criminal prosecution or discipline of officers as unfair and politically motivated.
Although legal outcomes vary widely in these cases, the most notable examples of support for officers accused of murder do not lead to overturned convictions.
___ Associated Press editor Aaron Morrison in New York City contributed to this report.