As the video swept across the country, there was a moment of unity — or something close to it.
Conservative Republicans joined with progressive Democrats in condemning the police officer seen pinning George Floyd to a Minneapolis street corner, as the 46-year-old Black man begged for air.
Five years later, that broad consensus has vanished, as the right-wing media has sought to rewrite what happened to Floyd. In the new version, Floyd is a “thug” who died of a drug overdose and Chauvin has been recast as a victim of an unfair trial. “They’re trying to rewrite history,” said Cmdr. Richard Zimmerman, MPD’s longest tenured officer, who testified as a prosecution witness at Chauvin’s trial.
Tap the link in our bio to read the full story by Andy Mannix and Liz Sawyer. Video by Andy Mannix and Ashley Miller/The Minnesota Star Tribune.