What's Changed — And What Hasn't — In The Year Since George Floyd Was Killed
What's Changed — And What Hasn't — In The Year Since George Floyd Was Killed
People pays their respects to George Floyd in the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue on May 25 in Minneapolis. Brandon Bell/Getty Images hide caption
People pays their respects to George Floyd in the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue on May 25 in Minneapolis.
Brandon Bell/Getty ImagesAfter his death on May 25, 2020, George Floyd became the face of a movement against police violence. But attorney Andrea Ritchie says, in some ways, the prosecution and conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin created a false sense of progress in that movement. Ritchie focuses on police misconduct and is the author of the book, Invisible No More: Police Violence Against Black Women And Women Of Color.
Bowling Green State University criminologist Phillip Stinson explains why so few police officers are prosecuted and convicted for murder. Stinson maintains the Henry A. Wallace Police Crime Database.
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This episode was produced by Brent Baughman, Brianna Scott and Lee Hale. It was edited by Sami Yenigun and Patrick Jarenwattananon with help from Wynne Davis and Acacia Squires. Our executive producer is Cara Tallo.
Clarification May 28, 2021
In a previous version of this report, attorney Andrea Ritchie asserted that "thousands of officers get away with killing people without consequences every year in this country." While there's no reliable data to determine how many officers participate in killing members of the U.S. public annually, data suggests that police kill about 1,000 people a year. Ritchie's assertion that the officers get away "without consequences" is also challenging to prove. When we heard concerns after the interview, we contacted Ritchie to ask her to explain her assertion, and she said she meant without arrest or prosecution. According to the Henry A. Wallace Police Crime Database, since 2005, 142 officers have been arrested on charges of murder or manslaughter in the shooting and killing of someone while on duty. Philip Stinson, who leads this research, says 44 out of those 142 officers have been convicted of a crime: Seven officers were ultimately convicted of murder, 23 of varying degrees of manslaughter and five of varying levels of homicide, and the others were charged with lesser offenses. Officers also face other consequences, including being fired, demoted or placed on leave, which are not tracked nationally and are difficult to quantify.