- People being considered to serve as jurors in the criminal trial stemming from
George Floyd 's death are being asked to answer questions as part of the jury selection process. - The questionnaire includes questions about their views on
Black Lives Matter , whether they attended protests overpolice brutality , and their personal experiences with police officers. - Floyd was killed on May 25 when a former Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes as Floyd pleaded with him, "I can't breathe." Four officers are facing charges related to his death.
People being considered to serve as jurors in the criminal trial stemming from George Floyd's death are being asked to answer questions related to Black Lives Matter, protests over police brutality, and their personal experiences with police officers.
The questionnaire was filed in
"Did you, or someone close to you, participate in any of the demonstrations or marches against police brutality that took place in Minneapolis after George Floyd's death?" one question reads. "If you participated, did you carry a sign? What did it say?"
Another question asks if the potential juror suffered any property damage during the protests, and whether or not they believe their community was positively or negatively affected by the demonstrations. There is also a section of questions about experiences with police.
"Have you, or someone close to you, ever helped support or advocated in favor of or against police reform?" one question says.
It also asks if the potential juror has ever been the victim of a crime in which the police were called, and how satisfied, or unsatisfied, they were with the police response.
"Have you ever personally seen the police use more force than was needed?" another question asks.
There are also questions about how favorably the potential juror views "Black Lives Matter" and "
Floyd was killed on May 25 when a former Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes as Floyd pleaded with him, "I can't breathe." His death was captured on video that was widely shared and sparked protests across the US and around the world.
Four police officers from the Minneapolis Police Department are facing charges related to his death.
The other three officers, Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng, and Thomas Lane, are charged with aiding and abetting both second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
The trial is expected to begin in March and could last up to a month, USA Today reported.
The questionnaire that the potential jurors are being asked to complete also includes questions about their existing knowledge of the case, their primary source of
There is also a section in which a list of statements can be ranked on a scale from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree." Some of those statements are:
- Discrimination is not as bad as the media makes it out to be.
- I support defunding the Minneapolis Police Department.
- Because law enforcement officers have such dangerous jobs, it is not right to second guess decisions they make while on duty.
- Local police departments try to cover up excessive force rather than correct it.
- People today do not give our law enforcement officers the respect they deserve.