Closing Arguments Begin In Derek Chauvin Murder Trial

The jury will begin deliberations soon to determine whether
former officer Chauvin is guilty of murdering George
Floyd.

Closing arguments on Monday marked the final stage of the trial
of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder
of George Floyd as Minneapolis sits on edge ahead of a verdict.

Prosecutor Steve Schleicher summarised the state’s succinct
argument that Chauvin used excessive force when he kept his knee on
Floyd’s neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds last May, which was
not part of his training.

Schleicher told the jury it was Floyd being pressed against the
“unyielding pavement … as unyielding as the men who held him down”,
that killed Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, who was accused of
using a counterfeit $20 bill to buy cigarettes.

Defence lawyer Eric Nelson will again try to plant seeds of
doubt in the jury, pointing to the testimony of expert witnesses
who said Chauvin, who is white, acted appropriately. Nelson will
also cite Floyd’s pre-existing health issues and drug use as the
real cause of death.

Jerry Blackwell, a prosecution lawyer lauded for his compassion
during the trial, will offer a rebuttal.

The 45-year-old Chauvin faces charges of second-degree murder,
third-degree murder and manslaughter. Once arguments close, the
jury will be sequestered and decide the verdicts on these
charges.

Tensions are high in Minneapolis. Government buildings and some
storefronts have boarded up their windows in anticipation of unrest
after the verdict and closed early the night before the trial.

National Guard troops are positioned along busy thoroughfares
throughout the city.

Josh Soto, a 23-year-old car mechanic who said he wasn’t
political, told Al Jazeera he wished the National Guard troops
would leave as he purchased a coffee at a petrol station with
troops stationed outside.

“They don’t help. They just make us feel like we did something
wrong. But we didn’t.”

The April 11 police killing of Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center,
a Minneapolis suburb, increased these tensions, leading to raucous
protests.

Law enforcement and the National Guard have been criticised for
their reaction to protests in Brooklyn Center. They detained over
100 members of the media on Friday and have used tear gas and other
less-lethal munitions on crowds.

Michelle Gross, head of the Minneapolis-based Communities United
Against Police Brutality (CUAPB) told Al Jazeera they are “pressing
the governor to get rid of the extra military presence that is
harming the community”.

The jury has no time limit for deliberations, but Gross said
many in the community fear for the worst.

A coalition of more than 20 local organisations, including
CUAPB, has organised a protest for 5pm (17:00 CST, 22:00 GMT) that
will begin near the Hennepin County Government Center that serves
at the courthouse.

Gross pointed to government buildings like the courthouse that
“have already boarded themselves up. Surrounded themselves with
double layers of fencing. People are feeling like they already know
what the verdict is going to be.”

She concluded: “People are nervous.”

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

The jury will begin deliberations soon to determine whether
former officer Chauvin is guilty of murdering George
Floyd.

Closing arguments on Monday marked the final stage of the trial
of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder
of George Floyd as Minneapolis sits on edge ahead of a verdict.

Prosecutor Steve Schleicher summarised the state’s succinct
argument that Chauvin used excessive force when he kept his knee on
Floyd’s neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds last May, which was
not part of his training.

Schleicher told the jury it was Floyd being pressed against the
“unyielding pavement … as unyielding as the men who held him down”,
that killed Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, who was accused of
using a counterfeit $20 bill to buy cigarettes.

Defence lawyer Eric Nelson will again try to plant seeds of
doubt in the jury, pointing to the testimony of expert witnesses
who said Chauvin, who is white, acted appropriately. Nelson will
also cite Floyd’s pre-existing health issues and drug use as the
real cause of death.

Jerry Blackwell, a prosecution lawyer lauded for his compassion
during the trial, will offer a rebuttal.

The 45-year-old Chauvin faces charges of second-degree murder,
third-degree murder and manslaughter. Once arguments close, the
jury will be sequestered and decide the verdicts on these
charges.

Tensions are high in Minneapolis. Government buildings and some
storefronts have boarded up their windows in anticipation of unrest
after the verdict and closed early the night before the trial.

National Guard troops are positioned along busy thoroughfares
throughout the city.

Josh Soto, a 23-year-old car mechanic who said he wasn’t
political, told Al Jazeera he wished the National Guard troops
would leave as he purchased a coffee at a petrol station with
troops stationed outside.

“They don’t help. They just make us feel like we did something
wrong. But we didn’t.”

The April 11 police killing of Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center,
a Minneapolis suburb, increased these tensions, leading to raucous
protests.

Law enforcement and the National Guard have been criticised for
their reaction to protests in Brooklyn Center. They detained over
100 members of the media on Friday and have used tear gas and other
less-lethal munitions on crowds.

Michelle Gross, head of the Minneapolis-based Communities United
Against Police Brutality (CUAPB) told Al Jazeera they are “pressing
the governor to get rid of the extra military presence that is
harming the community”.

The jury has no time limit for deliberations, but Gross said
many in the community fear for the worst.

A coalition of more than 20 local organisations, including
CUAPB, has organised a protest for 5pm (17:00 CST, 22:00 GMT) that
will begin near the Hennepin County Government Center that serves
at the courthouse.

Gross pointed to government buildings like the courthouse that
“have already boarded themselves up. Surrounded themselves with
double layers of fencing. People are feeling like they already know
what the verdict is going to be.”

She concluded: “People are nervous.”

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES