Five Years After George Floyd's Murder Woke Us Up

Transcript of George Floyd Detainment and Murder

Episode transcript:

Five years ago today,

May 25, 2020,

George Floyd was walking down a Minneapolis street when he was confronted by police officers over the suspicion that he might have passed a counterfeit $20 bill at a neighborhood store.

Odds are you already know how that played out.

But for any young listeners or foreign listeners who are finding this episode far into the future.

He was killed.

Murdered.

I can say unequivocally murdered.

Because the officer whose knee stayed unwavering on George Floyd's neck for eight, nine minutes until he was breathless,

was convicted of murder.

That event changed the United States.

It changed the world. It impacted the world.

Massive protests broke out across the globe in the United States,

Europe,

Africa,

South America.

There was something in the callousness of the disregard for George Floyd's life that was conveyed in a cell phone video that had not been captured in such a way.

We had not had the opportunity previously to see the level of disregard for human life as was witnessed in that nine minute video.

And that is why of the many deaths that happened before and after the murder of George Floyd, that one stood out.

In addition to the reaction of the world,

it actually changed the way racism was talked about here in the United States and abroad. But particularly here, it changed hearts and minds that had been hardened against comprehending the level of disparate treatment American citizens received at the hands of local law enforcement agencies, in particular based primarily on the citizens race more so than their criminality,

as it did to many around the world. That video,

it broke my heart and it tore at my soul.

Even as a black woman who witnessed how frequently normal stay in your car sign here. Traffic stops were escalated into curb sitting handcuffed events for young black men.

It was so much further beyond.

But I think the further beyond that happened that we witnessed with George Floyd's murder had us recognize that all the little things that lead up to that, the excessive number of stops, all those things are what lead to an incident like the murder of George Floyd.

We wonder how was it that Officer Chauvin and the three other cops with him did not see a man, a human being, a son, a father, a person potentially innocent of a phoned in accusation?

Why did they ignore a grown man,

clearly English, communicating over and over again that he was claustrophobic? Why was the panic that he exhibited in response to a clearly communicated mental health crisis interpreted as aggression?

I recently read the transcript of George Floyd's detainment and murder for the first time.

I was inspired to read it after something I heard on NPR's Morning Edition.

They were Interviewing people about how it affected them five years later, you know, what they remembered about that pivotal moment.

And one of the persons interviewed, an Antonio Romanucci,

said,

I quote,

george basically narrated his death. He was telling this police officer, Derek Chauvin, I can't breathe. He didn't say it once or twice,

he said it over a dozen times. He said it 20 times,

end of quote.

And I don't know if most people had that in mind, that George Floyd had said he couldn't breathe 20 times for whatever reason.

That wasn't one of the facts of that incident that had stayed with me over time.

And so I went to look at the transcript which I will attach here to read it for myself.

And all I could think as I read the transcript was they weren't listening.

They couldn't hear this tall black man because he didn't deserve to be heard in that moment.

Mr. Floyd was a one dimensional character in a well rehearsed and oft repeated street play where the black man is cast as suspect who is guilty of something somewhere at some point.

And as many listeners who've heard me share the origin story of this podcast here and there on various episodes,

you know that it was my being confronted with the one dimensionality of George Floyd that I saw more clearly that it isn't just officers holding this view.

Movies, TV shows, Americans,

that is our view,

generally speaking,

and we stereotype everyone. Let me be clear.

Stereotypes are not a unique issue to black men.

As a black woman,

when I'm direct and straight, I am aggressive. That is the characterization that's coming.

There are stereotypes that go with every group. There are stereotypes about white men, white women,

Latinos,

you name it. We're great as human beings with coming up with stereotypes.

So why do the stereotypes of black men stand out? Why 365 brothers?

Because based on statistics and history,

the one dimensional stereotypes that are associated with black men have as a consequence a greater potential for death.

Many stereotypes,

but being killed by law enforcement is very distinctly a higher probability for black men.

And it was being confronted with this one dimensionality of George Floyd that had me start this conversation,

this podcast with black men.

The stereotype that they carry of being criminals seen first as a potential danger, and as a danger, potentially a criminal has them interact with law enforcement people legally entitled to carry guns at a greater frequency than other subgroups of our population.

And it's not just the history of it. And it's reinforced as I prepared to acknowledge the five year anniversary of George Floyd's murder and the impetus for this podcast,

I thought about how I wait for every season of Ghost.

Oh, I watched every episode of Power. I love that show. Drug dealer who's got it handled. Living the good life.

Mm.

Well, the sequel, Ghost,

is a show about a young, highly intelligent, private school educated black man who becomes a drug dealer at his majority white, Ivy League implied university.

It's kind of embarrassing to admit that I am so wrapped up,

so unconcerned with, with that stereotype being propagated that I just look forward to each episode.

Even though what the show is doing is telling society that the college educated, articulate and well dressed young black man is still a thug in sheep's clothing.

Don't be fooled,

still should be under arrest.

So this podcast endeavored to add dimensionality,

multidimensionality to our black men. Of the 170 or so brothers that I've interviewed to date,

they like all humans, of all races, ethnicities, gender.

They've experienced failure and success.

And they've shared those stories of failure and of success,

of being fathered and fathering, of being loved and loving,

of being mentored and mentoring others, of being damaged and of damaging others and how they continue to strive for a life they love.

My gratitude is bottomless for all the guests who've allowed me to interview them for this podcast.

So what's next? Is 365 brothers over or what? Because it's been a minute,

I know I am still committed to the 190 something interviews that remain. To actually have a conversation with 365 brothers.

It's been a struggle.

In that first year, year and a half immediately after George Floyd's death, all I had to say to a brother that I wanted to interview was that it sprung from adding dimensionality to the lives of black men.

And the yeses, they just flowed in.

At the beginning, I was publishing twice a week.

Then, as the yeses required more work, I began to rely on guest banks, brothers with brands, with businesses to plug new books.

And gratefully, they were also down for the conversation I wanted to have.

Over time, I've switched up some of the questions. I've tried to have the content be more informative and all of that was fine. And I've added more banter.

But over time, my commitment to listening gave way to a commitment to sound more upbeat and informative, chasing the feel of quote unquote, a popular podcast.

And don't get me wrong, I still want to be a popular podcast.

But in the five years since George Floyd's murder,

Dei has come, it's expanded, it became a thing,

and it is now being choked,

choked out of government and corporate settings.

This podcast originated as listening to black men.

And that's what we're getting back to. Emphasis on listening.

Five years ago, George Floyd used clear English. He told the officers on scene that he was claustrophobic. He repeated that he couldn't breathe 20 times.

They wouldn't listen.

They weren't listening.

This podcast is 365 brothers listening to black men about their lives,

and I'm looking forward to getting back on that.

As a side note,

you're probably all aware of this, but I'll just note that one early executive order was to stop the Justice Department from enforcing following up on these consent decrees with multiple police departments across the United States.

Fortunately, in the case of Minneapolis, there is still a state agreement.

Our government is removing DEI from all of its organizations as fast as it can.

Now, you know, wink wink, because DEI specifically refers to policies that were put in place in the Biden administration.

But it does reach back and have impact on laws, rules,

guidance that we have relied on for years.

Our government is also punishing agencies, businesses and educational institutions who attempt to continue addressing disparities in outcomes based on unique experiences by race of its citizens.

Are we Listening?

If you're not yet a subscriber,

please click to subscribe. New episodes will roll out in June and the emphasis, like I said, is going to be on listening. It's still a conversation and listening. And if you or anyone you know would like to increase your capacity to listen, which always increases your effectiveness in being heard,

please click on my name in the show notes to check out my coaching options and my listening sessions.

And Definitely check out 365brothers.com to keep up with the latest episodes.

Wishing you health,

safety and all the blessings that can possibly come your way.

Thank you for listening. And remember,

to listen is to love.

Thank you for listening to 365 Brothers the podcast. I'm your host, Robin Shine, and thank you so much for listening. Don't forget, if you haven't followed us, make sure you do follow us at 365 Brothers on Instagram.

You can also find us on Facebook. Check out our website,

365brothers.com and remember,

to listen is to love.