The Story or the Truth?

Were it not for the arrival of the Covid 19 pandemic, 2020 would have been the year of George Floyd. On the evening of May 25th in Minneapolis, MN, Mr. Floyd was detained on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill to purchase cigarettes. Cell phone video from bystanders showed George Floyd pinned face down on the street by three police officers with his hands cuffed behind his back. One of the officers, Derek Chauvin, had his knee pressed on the side of Mr. Floyd’s neck, while the other two officers restrained his back and legs. The video shows Mr. Floyd held in this position roughly 8 minutes while the officers await the arrival of an ambulance. During this time, George Floyd can be repeatedly heard saying “I can’t breathe!” until he eventually loses consciousness. The video also documents onlookers pleading with the police officers to acknowledge Mr. Floyd’s distress. When the ambulance arrives, Mr. Floyd is placed on a stretcher and loaded into the ambulance, which takes him to Hennepin County Medical Center. There George Floyd is pronounced dead at 9:25 p.m.

The video of George Floyd’s detention obviously received widespread media attention. His death sets off months of protests. While many of these protests were peaceful, there was also widespread violence, property destruction, burning, and looting. A substantial portion of south Minneapolis sustained extensive damage. Americans were astonished when rioters overwhelmed local law enforcement. Violent rioters even stormed the 3rd Precinct police station. On the evening of Thursday, May 28, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Police Chief Medaria Arradondo made the unprecedented decision to abandon the 3rd Precinct building. Arsonists promptly set the station ablaze. Firefighters were unable to reach the site due to the violence. The precinct burned throughout the night and the next morning was declared a total loss. Images of the burning precinct immediately became a sign and symbol of the utter breakdown of society.

For many Americans, the death of George Floyd is an obvious example of the ubiquitous racism that plagues our nation. Even for those who are more inclined to acknowledge America’s racial progress, they nonetheless regard George Floyd’s death as unjust; the result of police misconduct, if not outright police brutality. Four Minneapolis police officers have been brought up on charges related to the death of George Floyd. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has charged Officer Derek Chauvin with second-degree murder. Three other officers have been charged with “aiding and abetting” Mr. Floyd’s murder. Derek Chauvin’s trial is scheduled to begin in early March.

You can be sure that when this trial occurs, emotions will be running high. For a great many Americans, Mr. Floyd’s death has become the symbol of racial injustice. The outcome of this trial not only bears the weight of justice for George Floyd but for an entire nation. The stakes could not be higher. Many politicians and the media have stoked the flames, leading people to believe that George Floyd’s death is an example par excellence of good versus evil, light versus darkness. The dark and evil bigotry of Mr. Chauvin and his fellow officers has been put on full display for all to see. Soon, 12 jurors will be asked to condemn these officers for their appalling conduct. What possible defense could they have?

Well, it turns out that a great deal can be said in the officers defense. As is often the case, things are not nearly as simple as our media and some politicians would claim. I have often thought that if you really seek an accurate account of some event, you need to be patient. It’s very easy to jump to conclusions without knowing the full story. Sure, that’s a well-worn cliche, but it’s unfailingly true. We must be willing to wait – often times weeks or months before all the relevant details come to light. Unfortunately, it must be said that the media is in a state of disaster. The media has long ceased to concern itself with the truth. Instead, they have become purveyors of certain narratives; they are now story tellers. If the facts do not conform to the compelling story they wish to craft, those facts are conveniently downplayed or ignored.

So here we are, long after the death of Mr. Floyd. What are the facts? What is the truth? I’ve tried to learn about the death of Mr. Floyd by weighing and sifting all kinds of sources. The single most helpful resource I’ve encountered is a 24 minute documentary by a man named George Parry. The documentary can be found on youtube, but in case the tech censors take it down, you can also find it at centaurfilmworks.com. I would strongly recommend you view it. Mr. Parry is an attorney who from 1978 until 1983 worked in the Philedelphia District Attorney’s Office as the Chief of the Police Brutality/Misconduct Unit. In this key role, Mr. Parry’s responsibility was to evaluate all incidents of police use-of-force. If his investigation determined that the police had acted unlawfully, Mr. Parry would bring charges against the offending officers. In other words, he is an expert in evaluating police conduct.

The documentary is a compilation of all the pertinent video evidence of George Floyd’s detention. It includes the police officer’s body camera footage, plus video from bystander’s cell phones and one fixed security camera. The police officers were called to the scene based on a complaint from a store owner that Mr. Floyd had passed a counterfeit $20 bill. The store owner informed the officers that Mr. Floyd appeared to be “intoxicated and not in control of himself.” The officers confront Mr. Floyd, who was sitting behind the wheel of his vehicle across the street from the store. From the start, Mr. Floyd’s behavior is uncooperative, erratic and incoherent. He has difficulty walking or even standing up. The officers quickly suspect he may be under the influence of drugs. In particular, they note that Mr. Floyd is foaming at the mouth. Although Mr. Floyd initially denies drug use, moments later he admits that he has been “hooping.” Hooping is a slang term for taking drugs per rectum in order to obtain rapid and intense high.

When the officers attempt to put Mr. Floyd into the rear of the squad vehicle, the situation escalates. Mr. Floyd becomes more agitated and resistant. He claims to be claustrophobic even though he had moments earlier been similarly sitting in his own vehicle. He wrestles with several officers who are attempting to put him in the squad car. (Mr. Floyd was a large man – 6’4” and over 220 lbs.) Mr. Floyd begins to say over and over that he can’t breathe, even though at this point there was no pressure to Mr. Floyd’s back, chest, or neck. Several times he shouts out that he wants to lay on the ground.

After unsuccessfully struggling to put Mr. Floyd in the squad vehicle, the officers do indeed elect to restrain Mr. Floyd face down on the street pavement. Officer Chauvin uses his left knee to restrain the right side of Mr. Floyd’s neck. Two other officers hold his back and legs. It’s crucial to realize that this restraining technique (including Officer Chauvin’s neck restraint) is completely consistent with the officer’s training. The technique is approved by the Minneapolis police department and taught at the Police Academy. Moreover, the video demonstrates that Mr. Floyd was able to slightly lift his head off the pavement, suggesting that Officer Chauvin was not applying excessive force to Mr. Floyd’s neck.

These images were broadcast around the world and became indelibly imprinted upon the minds and memories of countless people. Once Mr. Floyd is on the pavement, the officers call for an ambulance because Mr. Floyd has suffered an abrasion during the struggle to place him in the squad car. (Perhaps also because of Mr. Floyd’s overall erratic behavior.) Mr. Floyd continues to say over and over again that he can’t breathe. After several minutes, he appears to lose consciousness. Because of Mr. Floyd’s deteriorating condition, the officers upgrade their call for medical assistance. As they wait for the ambulance, the officers keep Mr. Floyd restrained in the same position with Officer Chauvin’s knee on his neck. It was originally reported that Officer Chauvin kept his knee on Mr. Floyd’s neck for the infamous 8 minutes and 46 seconds. Review of the video evidence now suggests this time period was slightly different, closer to 8 minutes.

The four police officers involved in the detention of George Floyd were brought up on charges on May 29, only 4 days following the incident. Alarmingly, it was not until May 31st that the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office received George Floyd’s toxicology report. The report showed that Mr. Floyd had large amounts of Fentanyl in his blood – 11 ng/mL (nanograms per milliliter). A fatal dose of Fentanyl can be as low as 3 ng/mL. Therefore, the report shows that the amount of Fentanyl in George Floyd’s blood exceeded the potentially lethal does by over 3 times. So the Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Andrew Baker, and the prosecutors did not learn this vital information until 2 days after they had already brought charges against the police officers. Once Dr. Baker had learned the toxicology results, he informed the prosecutors that Mr. Floyd’s blood Fentanyl levels would normally be considered a fatal overdose.

Mr. Floyd’s autopsy results also support the conclusion that he died of a fatal overdose of Fentanyl. Fentanyl is a powerful respiratory depressant, causing fluid to build up in the lungs – “pulmonary edema” in medical parlance. Severe pulmonary edema likely explains why Mr. Floyd was foaming at the mouth long before Officer Chauvin’s knee was on his neck. Indeed, Mr. Floyd’s fluid-filled lungs were found to weigh 2-3x normal at autopsy. The autopsy also revealed that Mr. Floyd had severe coronary artery disease, or blockage of the blood vessels to the heart. This would have made him even more vulnerable to an overdose. Disturbingly, the toxicology and autopsy evidence was withheld from the police officer’s legal defense and from the public until August 25th – fully 3 months after Mr. Floyd’s death.

So what are we to make of George Floyd’s death? I certainly hope that this blog and the George Parry video have helped us move closer to the truth. Everyone agrees that the death of George Floyd was a horrible tragedy. Yet even more tragic is the false narrative created by the media, certain politicians, and many others. The facts of the case strongly support the conclusion that George Floyd died of a fatal overdose of Fentanyl. Did the actions of Officer Chauvin contribute to George Floyd’s death? There is certainly room to review the appropriate use of restraining holds. But the police officers can hardly be faulted for correctly using a technique they had been taught. I’m certainly not claiming this is the end of matter. More facts may emerge as the case goes to trial. George Floyd had a criminal history and Officer Chauvin had previous complaints lodged against him. A judge will have to determine how much of this is relevant to the events of May 25, 2020. But given what I now know, there is no possible way to conclude that these officers committed murder. Moreover, there has been absolutely no evidence to suggest that any of the officers were motivated by racial animus.

Yet this truth does not comport with the story. That certainly doesn’t mean that the story will suddenly disappear in the face of the facts. Indeed, it’s deeply disconcerting that the key toxicology and autopsy results were withheld for three months while riots raged throughout our country. Even after coming to light, these crucial results have received minimal media coverage. Meanwhile, the narrative of racism and police misconduct has reigned supreme. The tragedy of George Floyd’s death has been vastly compounded by the loss of trust between communities and the police. Under intense criticism, police departments have been crippled. Movements to defund the police have sprung up. These movements have achieved significant “success” as some cities have indeed cut police budgets. Yet in cities like Minneapolis, the result has been a surge in murders and overall violent crime. Sadly, the breakdown in public safety has mostly affected minority communities. It’s enough to make you wonder if there’s a malevolent power at work in our world, deceiving us into taking actions which lead to further misery rather than healing.

Stories are a very powerful part of our human experience. They are a mechanism we use to make sense of the world. Countless people carry the story of George Floyd’s death in their minds and imaginations – a story of injustice, white supremacy, and police brutality. It’s a story that becomes even more compelling because it seems to be a straightforward clash between good and evil. Human beings have a powerful impulse that makes us want to believe stories that reinforce our existing worldview. But if we’re going to flourish as individuals and as a society, we must learn to always allow the truth to shape our stories, rather than letting our preferred story determine what is true.