A George Floyd Mural at the Minneapolis intersection where he died has been vandalized. According to a CBS News report, a witness claimed to have seen someone cover the mural with black spray paint earlier this week. The hoodie-wearing person was chased away, and those tending to the memorial area were reported to be looking for artists to help fix the mural.
Jeanelle Austin, the memorial’s lead caretaker, was quoted, saying: “We will not allow something like this to distract us from our greater goal.” On Wednesday night, a tarp was seen covering the painting. The words “under conservation” were written on the tarp. Notably, the man who vandalized the mural was confronted and is said to have told reporters that he was inebriated at the time. “This is definitely a turning point for me,” he said. “I was absolutely disgusted because that’s not at all representative of who I am or who I strive to be.”
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He has also reportedly stated that he will pay for repairs to the mural, as well as work with the community to do whatever else he can to make up for his actions.
Reportedly done by a med student at the UMN.
A 26 yo man about to become a doctor.
Not a “kid” making a bad decision. An aspiring professional who’s bias we know leads to Black & Brown patients suffering.
Medicine must hold account.#BlackLivesMatter https://t.co/WqyTqQjsuS
— Dr. Nathan Chomilo (@ChomiloMD) August 20, 2020
On May 25, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin and three other former officers — Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng, and Tou Thao — were placing Floyd under arrest as bystanders filmed. Floyd could be seen lying on the ground, with Chauvin kneeling on his neck while Floyd pleaded that he couldn’t breathe. Floyd eventually became unresponsive and was later pronounced dead. All four officers have been charged in connection to Floyd’s death, with Chauvin facing second-degree murder charges. They were all taken into custody, but only Chauvin remains in custody. The other former officers were released on bond.
An initial report from the Hennepin County Medical Examiner stated that “no physical findings” were discovered to support “a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation” as Floyd’s cause of death. Floyd’s family had a private autopsy completed by pathologists Dr. Michael Baden and Dr. Allecia Wilson, who challenged the results of the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s preliminary autopsy report. The pair stated that their findings determined that Floyd’s death was a “homicide caused by asphyxia.”
