Black Cop Who Watched George Floyd Die Thought He'd Be Fired If He Intervened

[Jilly_in_VA]

When former Minneapolis police officer J. Alexander Kueng took the stand in the federal trial against him and two other officers who watched George Floyd’s murder, he spoke about the department’s culture of rooting out those who didn’t follow orders unconditionally.

“Was there concern about being fired?” Kueng’s attorney asked Wednesday.

“Every day, sir,” Kueng said. “It was clear the chain of command was not to be breached, or else.”

Kueng is one of three former cops facing life in prison for allegedly depriving Floyd of his civil rights when they failed to provide medical attention or intervene in the 46-year-old Black man’s deadly arrest by former officer Derek Chauvin, who’s now serving 22 and a half years in prison for murder.

So far, the officers’ defense has focused on the shortcomings of their training and the strict hierarchy of policing: Even if they thought Chauvin shouldn’t have knelt on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes, they couldn’t have spoken up, especially to a superior officer. Kueng even said that Chauvin, who had 19 years of experience on the force, technically had the ability to terminate him if he saw fit, according to the Star Tribune.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/y3vq4b/alexander-kueng-feared-being-fired-for-intervening
__________________________________________________________________________
Saying the quiet part out loud

[sop]

1. That's certainly the most plausible explanation.

[Vinca]

2. Would you allow a man to be murdered in front of your eyes with only your job at stake?

There are always other jobs. There was only one George Floyd.

[Bayard]

4. No excuse

Your job isn't worth much if it negates your conscience.

[stopdiggin]

9. did they know death was intended - or likely? -(nt)-

[Vinca]

12. As I recall, there were people calling out that he wasn't breathing. That would be a hint.

[stopdiggin]

20. it would be, if you were taking advice from

a crowd of onlookers. And of course - by that time the damage is already done. This is on Chauvin. The man who insisted on doing what he was going to do, regardless of what anybody else had to say.

[Vinca]

22. A couple of those cops were helping to hold George Floyd down so Chauvin could kill him.

As I recall from the trial, one took Floyd's pulse and told Chauvin he didn't have one. Chauvin continued with his knee on Floyd's neck. That was the point the officers currently on trial should have pulled him off and tried to resuscitate Floyd. That might have saved them in this trial. Fear of losing a job isn't an excuse to allow a man to be killed.

[stopdiggin]

23. at that point, yes

if a person doesn't have a pulse you stop kneeling on his neck. (Chauvin) But of course you don't take a pulse if your objective is death, or a depraved indifference. (other officers) That demonstrates at least a level of concern. That level of concern did not (apparently) rise to the point of intervention (pulling other officers off) - and that's where we're going to trial with this. Which I agree with. Things are not going to change unless we start holding people accountable. I still think it is fairly questionable is a jury comes back with a 'guilty' against one or more of the junior officers here. But that does not mean it was a mistake to bring it to trial.

[Vinca]

24. If they do get off, I hope they will devote some of their time to searching for their spines.

[Treefrog]

16. Nope.

Pathetic excuse.

[Kid Berwyn]

3. Still, stupid.

Fuck your job, when a human being is getting murdered.

[Lars39]

5. I think what he's not saying

is that he knows he’d be horribly harassed or worse, in addition to being fired

[Jedi Guy]

6. Seems peculiar that Kueng and the other two are facing life in prison.

Chauvin did the actual murdering and he got 22.5 years. I'd think actually killing someone would be worse than failing to prevent another person from killing someone.

[Solomon]

13. Look like they were all kneeling on Floyd to me.

I don't get your point.

[Jedi Guy]

21. Chauvin was charged and convicted of murder, and he got 22.5 years.

They're not being charged with murder. The charges against them are civil rights violations and failing to stop Chauvin from killing Floyd. Just seems weird to me that failing to stop Chauvin carries more prison time than the actual murder.

If killing someone is worth 22.5 years, doesn't it stand to reason that failing to intervene would carry less prison time than that? Allowing someone to be killed is awful, but I don't see how it's worse than actually killing someone.

[IrishAfricanAmerican]

7. Again proving...

it's not rotten apples, it's the rotten barrel! The system in place is what perpetuates these acts and they will never stop until the system is reformed.

[Jilly_in_VA]

15. Apples all the way down

and every one rotten.

[Hav]

8. If I remember correctly,

Kueng was the one cop who had the least experience but who was the only one to speak out while it happened. He suggested a different position for Floyd out of concern. He was told to shut up. Not that it excuses what happened but whatever punishments are eventually decided, every other officer involved deserves a harsher judgment.

[intheflow]

10. Yeah, the article says he's facing life in prison for not intervening.

But Chauvin only got 22 years for physically murdering George Floyd. This officer is Black, all right.

[stopdiggin]

11. I think that represents a pretty plausible

defense (excuse as you put it). Tried to intervene - was told by superior officer in charge of scene to 'back off.' You can argue that the officer 'had other options' - but, in truth, (in real life) they were quite limited, extreme - and very unlikely to be employed. Particularly by a uniform with so little experience on the job. I think you have to bring these charges in order to change that sequence and dynamic. Which is of course what we want to happen. But, for this case - I guess we'll have to see what the jury says.

[mackdaddy]

14. Reminds me of this story where female officer punched and fired

because she tried to keep another officer from choking a suspect.

https://bossip.com/1082220/the-joys-of-being-black-ex-female-baltimore-cop-punched-in-the-face-and-fired-for-stopping-fellow-officer-from-choking-suspect-43081/

[KentuckyWoman]

17. Assuming it is true.

What kind of skunk stands there and watches a coworker murders someone and does nothing?
What kind of skunks train police of all people to make that choice?
What kind of skunks lead departments that allow that to go on?

Sounds to me like every officer at the scene goes to jail. Every superior officer in that department is terminated and citizen oversight committees with the power to fire and recommend criminal charges for criminal behavior need to be put in place.

[EarthFirst]

18. Ultimately; he stood with the thin blue line...

When a man’s life is on the line; and you choose career over conviction; your defense of the decision is morally bankrupt.

[Jilly_in_VA]

19. And so are you

(meaning the cop, not you, the poster)