In Minneapolis, yet another case of heavy-handed policing has occurred and has left one African American man dead at the hands of the police officers who were arresting him. The case in Minnesota has quickly gained national attention about a serious problem in this country: overzealous police officers who either ignore their training or flagrantly disregard their training when making an arrest—especially when arresting a person of color. Sadly, this is not the only story about what it's like to be a person of color in America that has happened this last week of May 2020.

The George Floyd Case

Minneapolis police say four officers were arresting George Floyd for allegedly committing forgery at a grocery store. Police say Floyd resisted arrest, but a video taken by a witness shows one of the officers with his knee on the back of Floyd's neck as Floyd lay on the ground (while handcuffed) for seven minutes. Floyd can be heard telling the officer, 

“Please, please, please, I can't breathe. Please, man.”

Floyd then became motionless, but the officer continued to kneel on his neck. Bystanders who were watching the incident became agitated and pleaded with the officers to ease up, but they were ignored. Floyd then died. The four officers involved have been fired from the department, and an FBI investigation of the incident has been opened. The day after Floyd's death, protesters took to the streets of Minneapolis to demand that the officers be charged with murder.

Woman Calls Police on Bird Watcher

Also on Memorial Day, a white woman called the police to make a false claim against an African American bird watcher in Central Park in New York City. The two were in an area that has signs clearly stating that dogs must be leashed at all times, so when the man asked the woman to leash her dog and she refused, he began to video the interaction they were having.

This spurred the woman to say to him, “I'm going to call the police and tell them there's an African-American man threatening me and my dog.” The video clearly shows that the man was keeping his distance from the woman and was in no way threatening her, but as she made the 911 call while also trying to control her dog by holding its collar, she practically strangled the dog.

Luckily, the man was not arrested or even detained by the police, but this incident demonstrates how many people are willing to play the “race card” against people of color. The man's video was posted to social media and quickly went viral, and the woman was identified. She has since been fired from her job and her dog has been removed from her care.

False Accusations and Criminal Defense

False accusations have been around since the beginning of time. Just imagine how many people of color are sitting in jails or prisons because of a false accusation. Luckily, with practically everyone owning some kind of smartphone, videos of such incidents like the one with George Floyd or the bird watcher can document what really happened and bring some sort of justice to the accused. If you are in Seattle and have been accused of a crime that you believe was the result of racial bias, you need a seasoned criminal defense attorney to get to the bottom of your case and clear your name. Karimi Law Office is open for business and ready to talk to you, so call 206-621-8777 or fill out a contact form today.