St. Pete Minister And Police Outraged Over Death Of George Floyd

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — The St. Petersburg police chief, residents, and mayor are among those expressing outrage at the death of a Minneapolis man detained by police there. A local Methodist minister said white supremacy is responsible for the death. Protests have sprung up across the country to denounce actions that took the life of 46-year-old George Floyd.

A video released online shows Floyd struggling to breathe as a Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into his neck, as three other officers watched.

Derek Chauvin was the officer who was seen with his knee on Floyd's neck during an arrest Monday. Floyd later died after saying that he was struggling to breathe during the arrest, the video shows. The four officers were fired and, on Friday, agents with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension arrested Chauvin, charging him with third-degree murder and manslaughter.

St. Petersburg Police Department Chief Anthony Holloway, who is a black man, told Patch he can't watch any more of the video of Floyd struggling to breathe as he begged police for help.

"He shouldn't have been treated that way," said Holloway. "As a police officer, I cannot explain to you or tell you why that technique would be used. We've never trained our people on that — to keep a man down that long on the ground, there's no excuse for that."

St. Pete Police policy says that if an officer sees another officer breaking a policy, and they don't react to it by stopping it or reporting it to their supervisor, then they face similar punishment, Holloway said. In the video that has been circulating via news channels and social media, the other officers don't act to stop the officer from hurting Floyd.

Floyd's death in Minneapolis means that police everywhere, including St. Pete, will have to increase efforts to maintain and build relationships with the community, as well as establish trust.

The Rev. Andy Oliver of the Allendale United Methodist Church in St. Pete cried when he saw the video of Floyd. He thought about the history of white supremacy and that it's too late for conversations.

As a response, Oliver changed the sign at the front of his church. One side now reads: "George Floyd Was Lynched Today By The Police. We Can't Breathe," and the other side says: "White Supremacy: The Most Dangerous Virus Infecting Our Country Since 1492."

"When tragedy hits, it's in the news for awhile and then we move on," said Oliver. "And we can't move on. We've got to say 'this is enough'."

Oliver has two children, and doesn't worry about them interacting with police because they are white.

See related stories:

• George Floyd Death: Former Cop Derek Chauvin Charged With Murder
• Miami-Area Police Chiefs 'Outraged' Over Death Of George Floyd
• Tampa Bay Chiefs 'Outraged' Over Actions Of Minneapolis Officer

"I can't imagine if my kids were black, the fear I would live with every single day. I have to be able to use my privilege to say this isn't right for moms and dads out there that have to worry about their kids and worry about themselves," Oliver said.

Bradford Wade and his wife, Tina Wade, who are black, sat at a picnic table at a park in south St. Pete and shared their ideas of what must be done to stop racist behavior.

"Love gotta come back," said Bradford. "Every time you have a fight nobody wins. Let's give peace. We need strong leaders from the white, black, Asian communities that can step up and say to the people fighting and acting with hate, 'Stop that. This isn't the way.'"

The Wades said they are concerned for the safety of their 20-year-old son because they feel that police agencies everywhere need a non-bias accountability.

"They need an independent group to come out and monitor police because they seem to get agitated when the public monitors them because it seems to heighten and escalate it," Tina said.

Minneapolis Patch reported that bystanders were heard yelling at Chauvin to get off of Floyd.

St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman expressed his frustration through a tweet at the officer's behavior and the way President Donald Trump is handling things.

"The officer who killed #GeorgeFloyd should be arrested, charged and convicted, as should every officer who watched it happen. It's times like this when we need a president capable of issuing a clarion call for justice and peace and who is truly committed to joining all of us..."

Earlier today, Trump tweeted that that National Guard has arrived on the scene in Minneapolis. There have been violent protests in response to the death of George Floyd for the past three days.