The police officers with him, who were watching him kill someone and were keeping a lookout to allow him to kill someone in peace, have not been charged with anything. Additionally, it is not just this incident. There have been many, many incidents of unarmed, often non resisting black people being killed by police and few (if any) actual consequences to police for doing it equivalent to if a civilian did the same.

Police officers are humans, believe it or not. Some of them are bad and that will always be true. Regarding your unnecessary insult at the end: Grow up.

The problem is with how these incidents are dealt with when they happen. Ordinary citizens could expect jail time for doing something like this, and that threat helps to protect black people against these bad people.

In this specific case, it looks like the police officer will face justice. But that only happened after the huge public outcry, and it didn't happen in countless other cases even when there was a big-but-not-as-big outcry. In many cases, not only have the officers escaped trial, they've actually kept their jobs!

That's what people are protesting.

The phrase “the straw that broke the camel’s back” comes to mind.

Yes, outrageous police conduct has happened before. But for some ineffable reason, this one time was one time to many.

I think that because this incident was so clearly visible, the video capturing what was so obviously murder, that it was a concrete platform to start a movement on. In many other cases, there was at least an attempt by the victim to defend themselves, or parts of the video that left holes in the context of what was going on. This one was a slaughter, and no one could find a justification for it.

Salience and specific evidence is a necessary but insufficient condition for these kinds mass outrage conditions. In the end the final trigger is obvious only in retrospect.

As a less politically sensitive topic for most Americans, I point to the Arab spring uprising as a good example. Tensions had been rising for decades, but the final trigger was when Mohamed Bouazizi, a street vendor, lit himself on fire to protest the local police stealing his possessions & threatening his livelihood. A tragic event, for sure, but after decades of brutality and continual tragedy, who could have possibly predicted that that would be the final straw?

Yeah, I think this is it too. In particular, this case was so clear cut that it enraged white people who were perhaps more passively supportive in other cases.

Work. Volunteer. Take care of your family. Vote. It's a bit of a bad timing for protests right now - easily exploited, will likely result in negative change.

perhaps ask the US police if they could kill unarmed black males at more appropriate times maybe?

It is not a good idea to protest on the streets right now. It is selfish to protest on the streets. First - it spreads COVID. Which kills people in thousands. Second - it prolongs shelter-in-place and associated damage. Third, likely increases the possibility of re-election of the current president.

The officer responsible was arrested, yes.

But in the meantime, we now see videos of cops following humvees through residential neighbourhoods and shooting at unarmed people on their own property.

As a result, people are more concerned about police brutality than they were a month ago, rather than less

Of course, because there are at least 5 types of protesters, all with different goals. There is no way to control this salad peacefully.

1. Peaceful protesters against police brutality (including peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters).

2. The radical wing of the Black Lives Matter, who believe that the time of peaceful protests is over and that the only way to change the situation is to use violent methods, especially directed against the police.

3. Marauders and looters: who leverage the protests to rob shops, destroy and set fire to cars and buildings. These people do not give a shit about any other groups.

4. Anarchists and Antifa: their goal is to stir up arbitrary rule, to destroy the system using extremely violent methods. They are catalysts of chaos and their main goal is to create chaos that will lead to the arbitrariness and anarchy of the crowd.

5. White supremacists and extreme right-wing radical groups. They're catalysts for chaos. To make things a little simpler, their goal is to "anti-advertising" any African-American civil rights movement against police brutality and racial riots in the United States.

Ok some huge generalisations going on here, people can have many facets to them, so a peaceful protestor might become part of the radical wing after watching their friends get attacked by police when peacefully protesting.

When has antifa ever been archistic?. They are anti-facist, they dont want to bring down the state, unless that state is a Fascist one (I know Trump is bad but the USA is not a facist state currently).

So pigeonholing people is pointless and no one needs to control anything. Control implies a hierarchy, a hierarchy means you can go after the leaders, the point now is to raise so much awareness that you cant just go back to how it was last week.

> a peaceful protestor might become part of the radical wing after watching their friends get attacked by police when peacefully protesting.

The radical wing protesters are all well prepared. There is no way to identify them, they wear bandanas, cover their faces as much as possible. Peaceful protesters are barely covering their faces - basic face-masks to prevent the spread of the virus.

As for the antifa, they are taking the civil rights movement hostage and trying to create chaos on these protests by framing peaceful protesters and peaceful African-American activists.

A lot of violent protests are organized movements. They "advertise" on websites similar to Craigslist and offer $25/h on average. Police is well aware of all of that, which is why they have to act fast. This whole thing is no longer about George Floyd and police. It's much broader. A shit ton of people see this as an opportunity to reach their own goals hiding behind BLM, police lawlessness and so on.

P.S. English is my second language, so when I say control, what I really mean is to make sure peaceful protest stays peaceful. It's needed because not everyone is smart enough to understand that stealing laptops from stores is not normal.

>A lot of violent protests are organized movements. They "advertise" on websites similar to Craigslist and offer $25/h on average.

That needs a citation, seriously, even if English is your second language you must know that is a bold claim. Who's paying this $25 per person, how do the logistics of organising a group like that happen? I mean trump pays actors to turn up to his rallies, but they aren't going to get arrested or killed.

Occam's razor though says that they really are just fed up of people of colour being harassed and killed by the police that's why they are protesting, that's why there are so many of them. sure it's co-opted by a some people, or small groups, for financial gain, but these aren't huge global cabals, they are criminals who see an opportunity to exploit.

There was a video circulating of a streamer who tried to instigate trouble at a peaceful protest and he was called out on it by lots of those around him.

If you have ever been in one of these protests you would know that the spark is almost always a police charge or other offensive action like tear gas.

Also remember a riot is not looting, a riot is just defcon 5 on the protest scale, and some people will use that as an opportunity to loot, same people who would loot after a flood or a hurricane or an earthquake. That's doesn't mean the riot is wrong.

Agreed. Honestly, I couldn't find the Craigslist listing when I wrote my previous message, I would LOVE to show it to you.

Police needs a reform. It's not questionable. But there are many other problems and angles to this whole situation. There is no single truth and it's important to consider all of these issues wearing each group's shoes, including the police.

And did those arrest and charges come before or after multiple days of protests? At this point the protests have snowballed into a larger frustration over police conduct (and I'm sure other issues), which only gets reinforced with each instance of force being used on those who are assembled peacefully.

The other officers (excluding the one who was standing) involved should also be arrested.

> In your opinion.

Seriously? They let him slowly kill a dude right next to him! This isn't a situation where he just whipped out a gun and instantly shot someone, that kind of thing would be hard to stop in time, they had literal minutes where they could've stepped in, and chose not to.

I've participated in law enforcement hand to hand and incapacitation training sessions (as a Marine). At least in those trainings, it was very clearly taught what techniques were safe and effective, how to use them, and we practiced them on each other literally hundreds of times. If you've ever had a blood choke or constrictive choke applied to you, you immediately understand what it's like, and what dangers it presents. The officer charged knew what he was doing, without a doubt. The officers around him had a moral and legal requirement to stop him to avoid being complicit in this murder; they chose to help in the murder instead.

In the military, I would have been convicted of a war crime had I done this to an unarmed and incapacitated enemy combatant; even in ignorance, even if it had been a mistake, even if I was tired and had a bad day. I'd hope our police force would be held to a higher standard dealing with our own citizens than a soldier or Marine dealing with an enemy of the state.

The question isn’t whether failing to stop a crime makes you an accessory, it’s a question of whether or not performing perimeter security for a crime makes you an accessory.

Because the parent poster's comment is dead, I'm responding to yours. Yes, obeying unlawful orders from your commanding officer is a violation of the UCMJ, and you will be criminally charged for doing so unless it can be demonstrated through strong evidence that you could not have known the order was unlawful. You are simply responsible for your own actions, as is everyone else (including the police).

Absolutely, yes.

If this is true and every office on the scene was that misinformed, it's still a systemic problem that requires a complete overhaul of the way police are trained and hired. This won't be fixed by punishing a few bad apples and then pretending the problem is solved.

What's the chances that of a sample of officers who responded, those 4 are the only ones who would have let this happen?

Do you believe that kneeling on another human being’s neck for 9 minutes is not dangerous?

Dangerous? Yes. Did they know it would be fatal? I have no idea. It isn't clear that they were standing there with the intent to "keep watch while their colleague killed him". I don't believe they knew he would die. That doesn't absolve them, but should they be arrested as accomplices to murder? It isn't clear!

The idea that kneeling on a restrained human’s neck for 9 minutes isn’t something they knew could lead to the severe injury or death of that person would be laughable if it wasn’t so chilling to hear you defend.

If I owned a martial arts studio and I let a student do that, I’d face criminal & civil liability. Why shouldn’t trained officers of the law be held to at least that standard?

If you did 1/2 of what the other cops did, you’d already be in jail pending trial. If you’d done 1/10th of that to a cop, you’d be lucky to survive your arrest.

Part of the outrage is how blatantly unequal the treatment of cops and and civilians accused of crimes are. It’s especially galling because not only are they given the power of the state, they are also given extra rigorous training in the safe application of force. If anyone should have reasonably known that kneeling on someone’s neck would be lethal, it would be the cops.

Oh, and all the bystanders who clearly recognized what was going on. Apparently they’re more wise to the dangers of kneeling on a restrained human’s neck than the police are.

They’re authorized to use necessary violence; kneeling on a handcuffed man’s neck was not a justifiable application of force. I genuinely cant believe I have to explain that.

Yes, that’s why I’m focusing on the word “accessory”. Don’t move the goal posts.

You tried to change the standard to “all the officers didn’t kneel on his neck”, I just called you out on it.

I do believe they should be arrested for accessory and face a trial by jury. It’s your right to think to the contrary, but your rationalizations about why they were willing to stand by and watch something that has deeply shocked the conscious of the whole nation is both disturbing and unconvincing.

“I don’t know why they were willing to do that”.

That’s why we have trials by jury, to determine guilt even though we can’t read minds.

Cities aren't being burned down

You say that as if that is what should have happened and its all ok. He was sacked, whoop de do. He should have been arrested, that he was arrested 3 days later means they could have arrested him immediately but if this hadnt kicked off he would likely still be patrolling now looking for his next victim.

If I stood guard so my buddy can strangle someone on video, I’d be in jail for accessory.

So, why are they still free men?

That it happened in the first place? That black people are treated worse by police as the norm?

But "the police" didn't kill this specific person. A specific police officer did and he's in jail.

One officer did the killing, three others let him do so, as it was a slow killing. Four out of the four present were complicit; think about what that likely implies about the rest of the police force, statistically.

And they did it even as people yelled at them and were recording. How many more officers might do it if nobody was watching? That's the truly scary thought.

Where were/are the rest of "the police" to denounce, arrest and charge, and update policies and practices to prevent this from happening... every. damn. day.

What do we have instead? 3 other "the police" standing by watching and not doing a thing. Being accessories to murder, that they would gladly arrest anyone else for doing the same. Followed by days of police brutality towards peaceful protesters, "the police" showing their itch to start shooting, throwing 'white power' signs and grinning, etc...

Come on.

"The police" were on the scene watching a fellow officer murder a man in plain daylight with crowds watching and did nothing.