May 25, 2020 Memorial Day
Minneapolis, Minnesota
There are times police officers must
make split-second consequential decisions
without the benefit of time to reflect.
But for 8 minutes, 46 seconds officer Chauvin
had plenty of time to reflect.
For 8 minutes, 46 seconds officer Dereck Chauvin
had his knee on George Floyd’s neck, enough time
to rediscover his humanity.
At 8 minutes, 10 seconds
Chauvin had enough time to remember he was a policeman
sworn to uphold the law of the polis, the city of Minneapolis.
At 7 minutes 3 seconds,
Chauvin had enough time to remember he was not authorized
to act out his own bias, his prejudice, his anger, his own pent up rage.
At 6 minutes, 21 seconds
Chauvin had enough time to remember he was neither judge nor jury.
His job was to safely detain a suspect. George Floyd was detained.
At 5 minutes, 53 seconds
Chauvin had enough time to recognize George Floyd,
with his hands cuffed behind his back, was no threat.
At 5 minutes, 17 seconds
Chauvin had enough time to realize now he was the threat.
At 4 minutes, 19 seconds
Chauvin had enough time to recognize his knee on Floyd’s neck
was not about a dangerous black man but about a racist white man.
At 3 minutes, 08 seconds
Chauvin had enough time to hear the cries of the bystanders
shouting out for the care of George Floyd..
At 2 minutes, 47 seconds,
Chauvin had enough time to let the cuffed Floyd to sit up and breathe
At 2 minutes, 21 seconds
Chauvin had enough time to nonchalantly stare
into a cellphone camera as if posing for a photo-op.
At 1 minute, 42 seconds
Chauvin had enough time to imagine what it was like
to have his neck pinned by another man’s knee.
At 1 minute, 23 seconds
Chauvin had enough time to tell two rookie cops
never do what I’m doing.
At 0 minutes, 0 seconds
the medics did not have enough time
to save George Floyd’s life.