(Image source from: politico.com)
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz reported that esteemed Attorney Keith Ellison is going to handle and lead George Floyd’s case in the court. It is the case of the murder of the unarmed Black man who was killed by an officer in charge who kneeled down on his neck for almost nine minutes, causing his death.
The decision of appointing Ellison, who is also a Black man, to take the lead in the case comes after the requests made by the activitists and the protestors who said that putting him on the case would project a strong message while pursuing the justice that Floyd deserves.
Walz further clarified saying that Ellison has the much needed expertise and experience needed to lead the case.
“With a large degree of humility and a great seriousness, I accept for my office the responsibility for leadership on this critical case involving the killing of George Floyd,” said Ellison.
Ellison further assured that they are going to acquire all the necessary resources that are required to win the case and get justice for George Floyd and his family.
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman, who had been priorly leading the case, reported that he had asked Ellison to help him with the case to which he readily agreed and they are going to be full partners now.
"There have been recent developments in the facts of the case where the help and expertise of the Attorney General would be valuable," said Freeman. Although, he didn’t divulge more into the details and decided to keep things concealed as of now.
Governor Walz reported on Sunday that the people of color in the country have lost their faith on the ability of Freeman getting the justice for Floyd that he deserves, which is why he had to step up and reassign the lead of the case to Ellison.
The accused, Derek Chauvin and the remaining three officers have been fired last week and Chauvin has been charged with third degree murder and second degree manslaughter charges of Floyd.
The remaining three officers who were present on site have not been charged yet. Both Freeman and Ellison are sure that further charges will be imposed.
Protesting against the mistreatment, over 100 protestors gathered outside Freeman’s demanding immediate arrest of all the accused along with his resignation.
The community leaders and organisers have been consistently demanding the appointment of Ellison to the case because of the mistrust on Freeman and his abilities in getting justice for George Floyd.
Ellison, who was previously a US Congressman has been an elected attorney general and has good ties with the community that he is fighting for.
Thousands of protestors across US have been coming out on the streets to protest against the police brutality and the constant death of the Black people without any consequences. This now marks as the sixth night of the protests. There have been imposed curfews across several of the states in the country.
By Somapika Dutta
