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Derek Chauvin Trial — A Case That Shook America and the World
Never before in the history of America, or perhaps the world, police officers spoke so freely against the wrongdoings of one of their own.
Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo, during his testimony on Monday, 5th, unreservedly, without mincing words, said that Derek Chauvin did not act, while arresting George Floyd, in accordance to the principles the law enforcement stands for.
Earlier on Friday, Richard Zimmerman, the senior-most officer, had testified how the force used by Chauvin to restrain Floyd was “absolutely unnecessary”.
I shudder to speculate if these police officers would have testified and spoken so freely against Chauvin if the prosecutor did not have available with him the solid video evidence and accounts of several eye-witnesses. And not to mention this trial is set against the backdrop of an unprecedented public outrage.
So it needed three strong forces — public outrage, video evidence and eye-witnesses — to shake the shoulders of police officers and compel them to tell the truth to the public.
Would they have said the same things against Chauvin if the whole world wasn’t watching them?