Lawyer: George Floyd's family, legal team asks United Nations to intervene in case of Floyd's death
(Conga Latin Bistro)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The family of George Floyd and their legal team are asking the United Nations to intervene in the case of Floyd’s death in Minneapolis police custody.
Attorney Benjamin Crump, who represents Floyd’s family, said Monday they have submitted an Urgent Appeal to the UN to intervene in the case. In their appeal, the family members and their lawyers asked the UN to support their call for all four officers involved in Floyd’s death to be charged with murder and for systemic police reform.
Floyd died on May 25 while being detained by Minneapolis police officers. The now-fired police officer seen kneeling on Floyd's neck while he repeatedly cried out that he could not breathe has been charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in his death. The other three officers involved were also fired and are now charged with aiding and abetting.
“The United States of America’s failure to appropriately respond to and address police violence and extrajudicial killings of persons of African descent constitutes an abridgement of their human rights,” the letter reads.
Their letter asked the UN to support their call for the U.S. and its state and local governments to do the following:
- Seek full justice for Mr. George Floyd with all officers involved being charged with first-degree murder
- End qualified immunity
- End provision of military equipment to, and military-type training of police
- Reinstate federal oversight/consent decrees where warranted
- Establish civilian review boards to aid in the pursuit of justice for victims
- Mandate the use of body cameras for all police officers and the immediate release of video footage and audio recordings following incidents involving police killings
- Mandate training on de-escalation techniques
- Support an independent prosecutor for police misconduct cases
- Increase restrictions on no-knock warrants and use of non-uniformed police in citizen interactions
- Establish an independent commission to review, investigate, prosecute and conduct independent autopsies in all police extrajudicial killings
- Immediately implement and follow recommendations made by special procedures of the United Nations that ensure the United States upholds its human rights obligations, including in the context of policing and the elimination of racism
The letter was addressed to the Working Group on the Rights of People of African Descent at the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. It was signed by Quincy Mason, Floyd’s son; Philonise Floyd, his brother; Crump and four other members of Floyd’s family’s legal team.