https://www.city-journal.org/progressive-politicians-watch-as-minneapolis-burns
In 2014, shortly after his release from a Texas prison, George Floyd moved to Minnesota for a fresh start. In Minneapolis, he worked as a truck driver and as a security guard at the Conga Latin Bistro, where he was known as “Big Floyd.” A few months ago, he was laid off due to the strict stay-at-home order imposed by the state’s Democratic governor, Tim Walz. Floyd looked for work; it’s unclear if he was eligible for coronavirus-related unemployed benefits.
Bad habits crept back in. Earlier this week, Floyd, apparently under the influence of an intoxicant, attempted to buy a package of cigarettes from a small shop in south Minneapolis with a counterfeit $20 bill. The store’s owner, Mahmod Abumayaleh, called the police. The recorded footage of the arrest showed Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin with his knee placed squarely on Floyd’s neck, while Floyd begged for mercy. Floyd, who didn’t resist arrest, died soon after. Chauvin, who was subsequently fired, had 18 prior complaints filed against him with the police department’s internal-affairs division. In a bizarre twist, it appears that Chauvin and Floyd were also once coworkers: they worked security at the same nightclub, and possibly knew each other.