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The city of Minneapolis reached a $27 million civil settlement with Floyd’s family earlier this month, which Chauvin’s defense used to paint the ex-cop as a victim. “It’s amazing to me, they had a press conference on Friday, where the mayor of Minneapolis is on stage with city council, and they’re using very, what I would say, very well-designed terminology. ‘The unanimous decision of the city council,’ for example,” attorney Eric Nelson said. “It just goes straight to the heart of the dangers of pretrial publicity in this case.” Judge Peter Cahill, who apparently didn’t interpret news of the settlement that way, denied Nelson’s request on Friday to have the trial moved and another of his to delay the trial. So the task of questioning and seating jurors, which began two weeks ago, continued into this week.
Although the selected jurors are anonymous and they aren’t permitted to be included in live streams of the trial, the Minneapolis Star Tribune described in detail what jurors revealed about themselves during the trial and in court documents:
Juror No. 2, a white man in his 20s, is a chemist who described himself as “pretty logical.” “I rely on facts and logic and what’s in front of me,” he said in court. “Opinion and facts are important distinctions for me.” He said he hasn’t viewed the viral video of Floyd’s death and thinks “all lives matter equally.” The juror also said he thinks favorably of the Black Lives Matter movement but thinks “Blue Lives Matter” messaging is unnecessary, the Star Tribune reported.
Juror No. 9, a multi-race woman in her 20s, has an uncle who is a Brainerd police officer and said she was “super excited” for the opportunity to serve on a jury and specifically in the Chauvin case. “It’s a very important case, not just for Hennepin County … but nationwide,” she said. “It’s just something everyone’s heard about, talked about. … No matter the decision, people are still going to talk about it.” She also said watching video of Floyd’s detainment gave her a “somewhat negative” image of Chauvin but that she was sure she could be open-minded about the evidence.
Juror No. 19, a white auditor in his 30s, said he was an alternate in a jury five years ago and ended up dismissed. “I was slightly disappointed after hearing the process,” he said. “I think it’s an important part of our society.” The juror said he saw parts of the footage of Floyd’s detainment and had a somewhat negative perception of Chauvin because “someone died, and that’s obviously not a positive thing.” He promised he could assess the evidence “from a viewpoint of the law,” the Star Tribune reported.
Juror No. 27, who works in information technology, is a Black immigrant in his 30s who speaks multiple languages including French, the Star Tribune reported. He said he was “surprised and anxious” when he learned he was selected for the jury pool, viewing the duty as “a service to my community and our country.” “I believe that I will be impartial,” he said.
Juror 44, a white executive for a healthcare nonprofit who came to trial armed with her own attorney, said “not all police are bad” but that “the bad-behavior police need to go.” The woman in her 50s said, “everyone’s lives are changed by this incident … and it’s not easy for anyone.”
Juror No. 52, a Black man in his 30s, said he could “definitely” view the case from “an objective point of view and that he doesn’t think Chauvan “had any intention of harming anybody, but somebody did die.”
Juror No. 55, a white executive assistant in clinical health care, said she watched part of the video of Floyd’s death but “couldn’t watch it in full, because it was too disturbing to me.” The woman, in her 50s, said she’s “not in a position to change the law.” “I’m in a position to uphold the law. … He’s innocent until we can prove otherwise,” she added.
Juror No. 79, a Black man in his 40s, said he disagrees with the principle of “defunding” police and that although minorities are frequently arrested, “the police do a lot.” “I would trust the police,” he said.
Juror No. 86, a multi-race consultant in her 40s, said the civil settlement awarded to Floyd’s family wouldn’t affect her decision-making. “I don’t think that declares guilt one way or the other,” she said.
Juror No. 89, a white nurse in her 50s, promised she could fairly decide the case even though she had seen part of the video of Floyd’s arrest. She said her work would impact how she looks at the evidence but that the fact wasn’t unique. “We all use our life experiences to make judgments,” she said.
Juror No. 91, a Black retired marketing worker in her 60s, said she saw about four minutes of Floyd’s arrest but stopped because “it just wasn’t something that I needed to see.” She also said the settlement wouldn’t affect her ability to remain objective.
Juror No. 92, a white suburban insurance professional in her 40s, said in a juror questionnaire the Star Tribune obtained that she didn’t think Floyd deserved to die and police didn’t need to use excessive force. She said she believes that “people of other races get treated unfairly” by law enforcement.
Juror No. 96, a white former customer service worker, said she saw the footage of Floyd’s arrest, and on a juror questionnaire the Star Tribune obtained, she said “this restraint was ultimately responsible for Mr. Floyd’s demise.” But when the defense challenged her, she promised she could presume Chauvin innocent.
Juror No. 118, a social worker in her 20s whose clients cope with mental health issues, said she was certain she could judge only the evidence that is part of the trial. She said her work has helped her become more empathetic and open-minded.
Juror No. 131, a white accountant in his 20s, attributed his analytical character to his work and said he could judge the evidence fairly. When speaking of athletes who kneel during the national anthem to protest racial injustice, he said he wishes they would protest in a different way. “I think it’s more of a respect of those that have come before us and the system that we have in the United States,” he said. “I have a great sense of pride in being a United States citizen.” He also said the Black Lives Matter movement contributed to violence following Floyd’s death, the Star Tribune reported.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents Floyd’s family, said in a Twitter thread on Tuesday he is pleased the jury has been seated. “This is not a hard case. George Floyd had more witnesses to his death than any other person, white or Black. We all saw the same thing: The indisputable and unjustified murder by a police officer of a Black man,” Crump tweeted.
”After hearing the facts, we hope and expect the #ChauvinTrial jury to deliver a just verdict,” the attorney added in another tweet. “#GeorgeFloyd was handcuffed, restrained, AND posed no harm. If he had been white, the facts would be undisputed and justice would be swift. We expect the same for George.”
View other social media postings about the Chauvin trial:
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