The Trial of Derek Chauvin
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On today’s episode, David and Sarah discuss the ins and outs of Derek Chauvin’s murder trial, including why Chauvin didn’t take the stand and whether he’s likely to be convicted. Plus, our hosts chat about House Democrats’ latest court-packing bill—what Sarah calls “a press release in the form of legislation”—former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter’s fatal shooting of Daunte Wright, and an en banc 6th Circuit case involving abortion.
Show Notes:
-“Chauvin Defense Expert Destroyed on the Stand” by Andrew McCarthy in National Review
As a retired Paramedic with 50 years of EMS experience and who worked for the service that transported George Floyd, I have thoughts on the Chauvin trial.
The knee per se was never the cause of death. If so, the autopsy would have revealed trauma and no trauma was found. The cause of death appears to be positional asphyxia. Mr. Floyd consistently complained of shortness of breath. Placing him on the pavement, laying prone, was the worst possible position he could be in.
What has been glossed over here is the fact that when police has someone in custody that person‘s well-being and care are the responsibility of the arresting officer. Minneapolis police have been trained consistently over the years that prone positioning is a danger and that if someone is on the ground they are to be rolled to their side in the recovery position. This facilitates breathing. An even better position would be to sit the person up or even stand him up while waiting for EMS. It’s not like Mr. Floyd was going anywhere.
Not only did the police fail in that responsibility they also failed to note that Mr. Floyd was getting weaker and weaker. They failed to check for a pulse when it became obvious that Mr. Floyd had stopped struggling and was apparently unresponsive. They failed to check his pulse even when prompted by an off duty Minneapolis firefighter EMT. Police certify in CPR every two years.
In my opinion, if the police had merely rolled the patient to his side while constantly assessing his condition and act according to their training, we would not be having this trial even if Mr. Floyd had still died.
The officers forgot their training. In my opinion, their inaction was unlawful.
Thank you both for clarifying the difference between Risk and Threat. This makes all the sense in the world. Law Enforcement has been trained (I've heard it over and over) that every stop is a potential shootout. Would like to see more about the Florida stats mentioned. Time for everyone to cool down.