MNA and Nurses Respond to the Killing of George Floyd by Police

As a nurse, what is your first reaction as you hear those words? Nurses General Nursing News

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We have all seen on the news the terrible scene that played out in the streets in Minnesota when George Floyd, an unarmed 46-year-old black male, was arrested by the Minnesota Police for attempted forgery at a convenience store. The action was caught on video as George Floyd, handcuffed and pinned to the ground face down by an officer who pressed with his full weight with his knee on Mr. Floyd's neck for more than 8 minutes. We watched and heard George Floyd crying out that he couldn't breathe. We heard him calling for "Mama". We watched as his body went limp with the officer still holding him down. This will be a scene I shall never forget.

The following are quotes from the Minnesota Nurses Association's response to this heinous crime.

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As nurses, we see the horrific effects of racism in our hospitals and community every day. We cannot remain silent as yet another black man has died at the hands of police...

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George Floyd's last words were "I can't breathe.” George Floyd died shortly after arriving at the hospital."

Nurses jump into action when they hear someone say "I can't breathe", instead of standing there watching them die. Their goal is to save lives, not kill people

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In the case of George Floyd, Minneapolis Police took no care or life-saving measures. Instead, they left him pinned down to the ground until paramedics arrived. Police ignored the pleas of George Floyd and he died.

Nurses care for all patients, regardless of their gender, race, religion or other status. We expect the same from the police. Unfortunately, nurses continue to see the devastating effects of systematic racism and oppression targeting people of color in our communities. We demand justice for George Floyd and a stop to the unnecessary death of black men at the hands of those who should protect them.

As a nurse, or as a compassionate human, how has this horrific event affected you? We have seen protests (some peaceful and some that have erupted into riots), vandalism, looting, and more. What is going on in your community? What actions can nurses take?

Let us stand together and let our voices be heard. Post your comments below.

7 minutes ago, macawake said:

Was that day the very first time in his entire life that he had used drugs? Because if he’d used drugs previously he obviously survived those occasions. Can you identify anything out of the ordinary that happened to him on his last day that hadn’t happened on the other occasions?

Here’s another scenario. What if I shoot someone in the head or whack them really hard with a two-by-four and the person dies. Will I automatically be acquitted simply because my unfortunate hypothetical victim was found to have done drugs? 

He may be acquitted and he may be found guilty. We’ll have to wait and see. I have no idea why several posters are sounding so convinced that they have a definite answer. Unless you’re just attempting to provoke other posters?  
 

 

It's my opinion and I  allowed to have it just like you.

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With these charges he isn't guaranteed to be in jail for life. It went from 3rd to 2nd, seems he wasn't going to get much time initially, then all of a sudden it gets changed.

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Specializes in RN BN PG Dip.
4 hours ago, Workitinurfava said:

Floyd beat a pregnant woman. He was no saint. Eventually he probably would have killed someone. Change first needs to start with the criminals in the community. 

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/07/15/fact-check-viral-photo-doesnt-show-george-floyd-assault-victim/5415937002/

Fact check: Woman in viral photo was beaten, raped in Spain, not assaulted by George Floyd

McKenzie Sadeghi

USA TODAY

 

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Specializes in RN BN PG Dip.

In Mr Lane's footage, Mr Floyd is seen being confronted by police. He begs them: "Please don't shoot me... I just lost my mom."

Mr Floyd is handcuffed and continues to plead with Officers Lane and Kueng, saying he is not resisting them and "will do anything you tell me to".

A scuffle occurs when police try to get Mr Floyd into a vehicle, and he starts crying and resisting while saying he is claustrophobic and has anxiety.

Mr Chauvin and his partner Mr Thao arrive as the arrest goes on.

As the police officers drag him out of the car and restrain him on the ground, Mr Floyd can be heard calling for his mother and telling his family members he loves them.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56594099

Mr Lane's footage was presented in court.

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I wasn't even going to comment. Tried not to follow this after an earlier attempt at rational discussion was blasted by a radical whom can only be described as a fanatic. But whether he did drugs or not, was a violent man or not, or whatever transpired before or after, once he was cuffed and on the ground it was over. It needed to stop when the person was controlled. It didn't. And cops learn CPR and first aid. They are not oblivious to someone unable to breathe. Chauvin knew he was doing wrong. Maybe he meant only to knock him out and make him incapable of fighting back, but once he stopped responding he had achieved that. Still he kneeled. He bears the responsibility. Extenuating circumstances or not. Floyd might have OD'd or had a heart attack that day. But maybe not. Maybe it took a trigger to take his life. Chauvin was the trigger. Just like dying of COVID when you are obese. You might have died otherwise, or you might have lived 30 more years. COVID was still the trigger. I give all the respect in the world to cops, but like us, they are supposed to be professional and have some self-control. They have to answer for wrongdoing.

 

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.
1 hour ago, Daisy4RN said:

Everyone is entitled to a fair trial, Mr Chauvin will never get one because of all the media and Dems rhetoric including the latest from Maxine Watters and even our own President Biden. We, as a society, need to stop assigning blame before the trial and hold those who continue to riot just as responsible as any rogue police (not all police!). When we have media and Democrats who continue to call riots "peaceful protests" and bail out violent criminals (Kamala Harris for one), tell rioters to get more aggressive while simultaneously defunding the police, and jurors being threatened/tapered with we can all see where this is going (if you are paying attention) and it isn't pretty. Our society is splitting at the seams, if not already ripped, and no one seems to care. 

Nonsense.

Articulate exactly how Chauvin's trial was unfair. 

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3 minutes ago, toomuchbaloney said:

Nonsense.

Articulate exactly how Chauvin's trial was unfair. 

How could it ever be fair? Anyone who watched the video footage already saw the moments in question. But the camera doesn't lie. Justice may be blind, but today everything is on camera. An opinion is formed in that visual moment. He was down, he was cuffed, he was no longer a threat. End of story.

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I think just as nurses if a patient comes in unconscious and unresponsive, we immediately default to ABC's for assessment. I think it's a matter of education! 

If our educational system programmed kids with the appropriate biology so they actually understand that it's just Melanin that makes the difference between skin colors and the rationale for the differences, they might unconsciously be triggered as we are with ABC's, that it's just another person. Instead of seeing something different and alien. 

The racism is a complete waste of resources aside from the humanity issues. People with different perspectives together always find unique and better solutions. There has never been an invention or a solution that didn't incorporate different sciences from many different sources. 

I always believe it's a lack of education that creates these problems. We have strayed away from humanities, social studies and geography in our school systems because we have basic thinkers creating our curriculums. We have a system that only allows the well qualified academically to make decisions when they are probably the least lived people cloistered in academia, and limited to an enclosed environment. 

And the police practices are barbaric by any standards because they deliberately employ barbaric individuals and give them the minimum of training. Think of the damage through riots, manpower and resources that a $20 fake bill has caused? 

Chauvin went to work that day thinking he was so much better than the people he was going to arrest, conveniently forgetting what a *** hole his personal life was, but he felt that because he was a policeman, that he was so much better. Better enough and arrogant enough to torture and murder a man in front of someone videoing his actions. Why? Because the police in this country believe that they are above the law. I wonder who gave them that impression?

This society has created the differences and the thinking that allows idiots to believe that they are better than others when their own lives are crippled with debt, emotional stress etc but they believe that their money makes them different! 

I bet Chauvin don't like the proportionate response! 

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.
4 hours ago, nursemarion said:

How could it ever be fair? Anyone who watched the video footage already saw the moments in question. But the camera doesn't lie. Justice may be blind, but today everything is on camera. An opinion is formed in that visual moment. He was down, he was cuffed, he was no longer a threat. End of story.

 There is zero evidence that the trial was unfair.  

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Our brave boys in Blue!

70+ years old Demented woman being assaulted by our upstanding policemen. 

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