Explanation
George Floyd was a Black man killed on May 25, 2020, by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who knelt on his neck for over nine minutes despite Floyd’s pleas that he could not breathe. The killing was recorded on video, triggering worldwide protests under the Black Lives Matter movement against systemic racism, police brutality, and social injustice. Floyd’s death became a symbol of longstanding issues of racial inequality in policing and catalyzed calls for reform, defunding police, and reimagining public safety.
Theoretical Reference
Critical Criminology; Race and Ethnicity Studies; Social Movement Theory