For the New York Times. Unlike some of this is a special episode of the daily as protests spread over the death of George Floyd at the helm. Of the many apple is police, the former officer at the centre of the case has been charged with murder. My colleague, Audrey Birch, on the latest developments. It's Friday afternoon. May twenty nine. Hey I'll drop, hey he's, gonna, see you guys here, yes, and I think also hear the news find you. I was Jesse thirty job. Ok apologies ahead of time, for help

frazzled. I am. We are grateful that you're making time. What's in the middle of this unfolding story, says, thank you. Thank you for having me to order. It is two hundred and thirty p dot m on Friday afternoon, and we know your time is really limited because you're in the middle of reporting, this story. So just a start. What do we know about the two men at the center of this story? The two men that are at the centre of this fatal encounter a police officer- a veteran police officer mean dear children. And the man who ultimately dies- and his name is George Floyd in our reporting we found coincidentally, that they had actually worked at the same club is not quite clear. Thinking. Each other, but we know that Mr Floyd worked as a answer and that Mr children was an off to the security person and what we Oh, is that even if they didn't know

shut in that line of work. They would come to be on the same corner in many the Sum Memorial day around eight p m the staff. That call please we're identify, find the billows fake. The patron was out of the establishment, while you are still there, we're not sure there's been a line, one one call that there's a forgery in progress, you see, children come affair and the next thing that we know is that Mr Floor weight has been approached her sitting on a blue collar, and then the next thing you know she's on the ground and progress knee is in his neck. We know that he was on the ground for anywhere from seven to ten minutes, while we know

he was crying. We know that at some point the even ass for his mother would pass two years earlier. So we have to think that that is a moment of hopelessness, of feeling like you're, not going to make it as this was happening, it was being videotaped and the scene is becoming more and more chaotic as the bystanders of watching. This is some point, and even here the bystanders begging for the officer to please rulings, his name. That does not happen until his body false now and he was carried away on a stretcher by the paramedics

Could you tell us about the reaction to that area when it was published? It was it. Was this all the more? I think everybody was shocked by precisely how graphic it was, but I think that a lot of people's reaction dependent on what they brought to it there were the common universal tears. Frustration anger. How did this happen, but then there was also the sense of maybe this particular tee. This particular video will be a witness, a central witness in this case and what

happened on the ground in Minneapolis as the people their absorb this video. You know it wasn't long after their that for organically you started to see groups of people come to the site where it had happened. Again protesting in it wasn't long before you could see bringing these hastily hand squaw signs. It said I can't breathe, which were the words that, from here, is that you would say in the video lifted happen, it believe get get away, what it meant that is happening and the guy sat on his neck even after he died at the last break it up with me on it and the day after this happens, the the officers, the for officers that where there are all fired, what we ve seen over the last

days is the result of so much built up anger and sadness very quickly. The mayor starts making comments. He talks about anger and sadness that has been ingrained in our black community, not just because of five minutes of horror before hundred years. This is a lumber prostration, its built upon four hundred years of injustice. I ever saw them I urge the police department in this country, and I can tell you that video sickening any joined by others, who condemn any really really quickly mention what we ve seen. We don't you. How they can not be facing charges that can arrange-

we're from murdered of manslaughter police departments across the country, actually condemning Chattanooga police chief, says police chief in Tennessee. They talked about any officer who does not have an issue with his officers. Didn't see anything wrong that video needs to turn their back in turn, their managers in and that's very uncommon, to see that level response so quickly. Other offices, if you're gonna be offices want to stand there and not help and not help when things go wrong. Like you don't see that doesn't mean I got behind his bad right, because I wanted them offices, that's afraid, to step up. I want to be want to step up. The Basi wrong happened. Long does not happen, and what do you make of that entrepreneurs that that is very unusual to hear police officers police chiefs from around the country speaking out so forcefully about an incident outside their jurisdiction and doing it with such a uniformity? Angrily?

That is the nature of the video that it is. It is so stark and so stunning, and at last for such a long time, it's no six to ten minutes is an exceptionally long time to watch some ones lying on the ground, and I also think that you know: You ve been having these conversations for quite a long time about the new relationships between the communities and the police in those communities. I think all of this sort of feeds in to this response, but frankly, I've never seen it before, but on what happens? Next, back in many was in many apple. Is these protests are growing all we know that there have been crowds. There are all over the city, including outside of the Ex officers home. What we're saying now, though, is that third night turned into something else and it was just the protest that she saw, but you also,

all people who were looting and they were damaging buildings, and I dont know that those are the same groups of people, but that's what we know how I will end by the end of last night by the police. Third precinct was on fire and turning to the ground, ah With hundreds of people outside watching as it happened we ve seen protests all over the country after police feelings, but another could ever seen a government building taken over like that, which feels like a pretty forceful kind of political statement. I have.

Seen a government building. I have never seen a police building on fire ever regardless of how intense demonstrations have been I've never seen before, and what did you make of that? You know just about every single person that I spoke with wanted justice for Mr Floyd, but they also wanted a better way of living. You know when you go to Minneapolis. It is one of the most racially unequal cities in the nation. They are great gaps between whites and blacks, income, education, educational attainment, unemployment at the very start divine and there's a professor at the University of Minnesota.

Is it the Minnesota paradox. He is talking about the city's reputation as being very progressive. It has a beautiful way of life with just under the surface. What you see is a stark racial divide and that gap has not close in any significant way. So, what's your hearing from protesters is I call a servant in trend the pain. You know it is a pain that has been there for a very long time. This idea that my life is so much different, then some of my neighbors lies and how does that get changed? How do I see a change in my life is meaningful and is there a specific protest about you talk to who addressed these kind, the frustrations want. Other people I talk to is on a gentleman named MIKE written, and you know in the course of talking to him. He became very emotional. He just kept

to me over and over that were tyres were so exhausted that it felt like every victory for them had been long thought that this. Was this ongoing daily struggle to find a good way of living in the city, and then this thing happened. He described in Mr Floyd there as representative of what has been the daily struggle for lack Americans in New York. Mindful of the fact that were in the middle of a moment, that is disproportionately traumatized black America and that is a pandemic, and I wonder how much in your conversations with protesters ending a reporting you feel like that may be factoring into this. I think it absolutely is. I talked to another person

Who was out of work because of covert nineteen? We know from reporting that you know african Americans are much more likely to be essential workers or to not have paid leave or to have pre existing conditions and makes african American much more vulnerable to the virus. So it was already pain that was not shared equally. If you will and then new layer that, on top of this there is a risk of death and feeling like there is a a racial connotation to it and for them. I think it just feels too much? You know I heard the term over and over enough is enough. So that gives me a says that you know there's an energy to try to mobilise, but there is also a weariness them. They ve been down. This road

For that? Getting reform is long and exhaustive work. Maybe this sounds like a naive question, but much of what you described here has about it, the feeling of some kind of a turning point. The fact that police departments across the country without reservation condemn this. The fact that these protesters so quickly escalated to taking over a police precinct burning it down does it feel like something is fundamentally different here, then these awful familiar cases but are like this that we have all experienced in the past. It does

You know I can't put my finger on it, but this this feels absolutely like a turning point, and I can't tell you what's on the other side, you know when you turned the corner, but I've never seen. You know that the confluence of these things that we're talking about entrenched disparity a pandemic that is disproportionate for particular, of people, this visceral video. I think, when you added altogether you're looking at explosive moment in american history, and other. How are you yourself thinking about this and feeling about it? hired. You know I would be lying if I didn't tell you that this this is hard work. I've done it before. I cover idea David, Martin, caisson and many others, and I thought a lot about sort of what this means in in America.

What this means. You know in my life what this means for african american families, how we should be thinking about who has the right to justice, we want to think everybody does. But I dont know I I just have been thinking a lot about it and, frankly, have not come up with any really good.

Yours, but I do know that we deserve better and more honest conversations about sort of where we are, and I think all of us need to be honest and allow ourselves to feel things. Think that's absolutely ok. I think that it has the yeah it informs are reporting, and I think that I think we all should be sitting with this just for a moment in deciding what this means. Thank you I'm sorry, you you can't mother fucker, you took your device and you just sat there with a firm. I mean I can't think of anything more important to do. I think when these things happen, sometimes it's just sitting still

I fight for clarity. I think that's just the only thing you can fight for after something like this happens on Friday afternoon, Derek shot. The officer seen using his knee A pin down. George Floyd was arrested and charged with third degree murder. And second degree manslaughter Floyd's relatives said they were disappointed by the decision not to pursue first degree murder charges which require proving and intend to kill, Minneapolis and say power on fire. The fire still smouldering our streets in emotional speech on Friday,

of Minnesota, TIM Watson expressed sympathy for the protesters recalling past episodes of police misconduct in the state. Much like we failed to here George Void, as he pleaded for his life as the world watched by people sworn to protect his community. Our state, Blanda Castillo, silenced, unheard So many other friends, brothers sisters, mothers, fathers senselessly died nor street their voices when unheard and now generations of pain is manifesting itself in front of the world and the world is watching ringing. Like a few hours later at the White House, President Trump spoke about the situation, offering a very different message. Then what he has on Twitter, where he had come

called the protesters thugs and had warned they could be shot one or express our nations deepest condolences and most heartfelt sympathy to the family of George Floyd The president said he had watched the video of Floyd's arrest and that he was alarmed by it We all saw what we saw and it's very hard to even conceive of anything other than what we did see. Should never happened, should never be allowed to happen. A thing like that. We're mania

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