After nationwide screams about his death, the release of a police camera, and through nine hours of jury deliberation, Crutcher said she was confident her family would get justice.
But when that did not come, Crutcher said she had to accept a harsh reality.
“You can have police murders on video and they still get away with it,” Crutcher said. “The system we live in was never really designed to protect black people.”
Some say they saw lawyers paint the same bleak picture of their deceased loved ones as Floyd’s lawyers this week when they said the underlying health issues complicated by an overdose of drugs – and not pressure from Chauvin’s knee – killed him has.
Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner, traveled to Minneapolis for the first few days of the trial to support the Floyd family. She knelt for 8 minutes and 46 seconds with Floyd’s family, lawyers and supporters outside the courthouse in Minneapolis on Monday to mark the last moments of his life.
During the trial last week, it was revealed that Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds.
Carr told CNN she may be related to the loss of a loved one who repeatedly said, “I can’t breathe” before she died in police deaths.
Still, Carr warns that the Floyd family may have to apply for a possible acquittal.
“Do not think it’s going to be a slam dunk, even if you have a video,” Carr said. “I had a video for the whole world to watch and they still did not charge any police in my son’s case.”
“So many times I have seen African American people killed and no one gets convicted,” Floyd said. “We are all fighting across America, not just me. You see protesters around the world. They are all standing up for George Floyd. If you can not get justice in America for this, then what can you get justice for?”
Why is it difficult to condemn officers?
One expert said many of these families never get justice because it is difficult to convict a police officer of murder.
Kenneth Nunn, a professor at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, said prosecutors should be able to prove that a police officer was negligent, unreasonable and reckless when he or she used lethal force.
Proving this is especially difficult for black victims, because policing in the United States has historically been racist since sleep patrols used violence to control the black community, Nunn said.
“I don’t think the average white juror or average white citizen wants to see black people killed by the police,” Nunn said. “But when they see those murders, they weigh it with ‘well, we’re concerned about safety in our community, it’s the people who provide it, we want to give them some space.’
Families say ‘stand strong’
Bystanders testified during the first week of the trial about their horror and fear of seeing Floyd die on May 25, 2020. Their testimony – along with the sharp eyewitness videos – is the backbone of the state’s case. But the families of other black men and women killed by police warned the Floyd family that the defense would try to tarnish its character.
The Terence Crutcher Foundation issued a statement Monday warning the Floyd family that there will be ‘gaslighting’ through the defense.
‘… They will insult George and blame him for his own death. You will have to relive the horrific event over and over again, ‘reads the statement. “But STAND STRONG and know that we are with you and we STAND in solidarity with you while you endure the unscrupulous.”
Attorney Eric Nelson mentions during the opening statements Floyd’s use of fentanyl and methamphetamine and his heart problems as the cause of his death. He said Floyd resisted arrest and that Chauvin was following police training properly.
“You will learn that Derek Chauvin did exactly what he was trained for over the course of his 19-year career,” Nelson said. “The use of force is not attractive, but it is an essential part of policing.”
“No, you can not paint me so angry – I would say I was in a position where I had to be controlled,” Williams said while being cross-examined by Nelson.
A ‘Playbook’ that ‘activates’
Tiffany Crutcher said the opening statements in Chauvin’s trial give her anxiety. It took her back to the trial of former Tulsa police officer Betty Shelby, who was acquitted in the shooting death of Terence Crutcher. According to Crutcher, defense attorneys raised the history of drug addiction during the trial.
“It’s exactly the same playbook they used in my brother’s trial,” she said. ‘It’s sick and it’s causing’.
Valerie Castile, the mother of Philando Castile, said it was ‘re-traumatic’ to watch the Chauvin trial.
Castile said she had little confidence in the criminal justice system and sympathized with the Floyd family while they watched the trial.
“You really have to have a tough skin to sit on and listen to,” Castile said. “Nothing surprises me with these people in Minnesota, because they have been getting away with this for many years.”
However, Jean’s sister Allisa Charles-Findley felt differently. Charles-Findley said she believes Guyger deserves life imprisonment for the murder of Jean.
“At 26, did you cut his life short and then still have the chance to go live?” Charles-Findley said. “You can have children, you can get married, you can do all the things that Botham will never have the opportunity to do.”
Charles-Findley said she did not believe the criminal justice system was created to protect black people. She encouraged the Floyd family to pray during the trial and to maintain a strong support system.
“We need to protect our own, so I would definitely advise them not to give up their hope,” she said.