Tragedy in Minneapolis

George Floyd was killed on Memorial Day in a Mineapolis police incident memorialized in nine agonizing minutes of video that almost immediately went viral. In the video, a police officer later identified as Derek Chauvin kneels on the victim's neck as he pleads for help, repeatedly saying "I can't breathe".

Minneapolis Police Chief Medario Arradondo fired the four officers involved and observers around the world are demanding charges. Mayor Jacob Frey was outraged; Governor Tim Walz, "shocked and horrified", and his attorney general Keith Ellison, have pledged a full investigation and justice.

Two days of protests and chaos followed. People looted a Target in south Minneapolis, about 4 miles from our former home. Fires ravaged throughout that neighborhood and clashes with police continued during the night. Yesterday, protesters gathered outside the home of Derek Chauvin in Oakdale, an eastern Twin Cities suburb about 20 miles from the incident and not far from where I am right now.

When I moved to Minnesota nearly four decades ago, I was surprised to hear only English on the street and see mostly Caucasian faces in a crowd. Over the years, the state has become more diverse, as reported in this 2018 article. However, racial disparities are evident in poverty statistics. The numbers are painful to contemplate and call for action, on institutional and personal levels.

The killing and its aftermath are so disturbing, especially because it is just the latest in of many racially charged incidents in Minnesota over the last few years. I'm really sad and so very sorry.