Derek Chauvin trial live: Jury selection begins Monday; protest, vigil planned to honor George Floyd msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Plan includes law enforcement and National Guard presence to reach its peak during the trial’s closing arguments and verdict.
Minnesota’s National Guard last deployed in record numbers to the streets of Minneapolis during last summer’s riots. (Photo via Twitter)
(MINNEAPOLIS, MN) – Citizens and businesses of Minneapolis will be forced to reckon with a high street presence of the National Guard as the city prepares for the upcoming murder trial of Derek Chauvin, the disgraced ex-cop accused of killing George Floyd, with jury selection set to begin on March 8th.
At this past Monday’s City Council Public Briefing, it was confirmed by the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) that the National Guard will be playing a key role in coordination of all city, county, state and federal law enforcement and security operations for the trial.
The former police officer seen kneeling for about nine minutes on George Floyd’s neck
before he died in spring is due to go on trial, and Minneapolis is on edge, protesting, barricading and boarding up.
Several hundred people supporting the conviction of former Officer Derek Chauvin on murder charges
gathered across the Mississippi River on Saturday in front of the governor’s mansion in St. Paul, chanting, “Prosecute the police!”
More protests were planned Sunday and Monday outside the courthouse where the case will be heard in downtown Minneapolis, now lined with protective concrete barriers and razor wire. The criminal prosecution of Chauvin, due to be broadcast live on Court TV, is likely to be among the most closely watched in U.S. history.
The tumultuous months that Minneapolis has experienced since ex-police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on George Floyd’s neck as he died last May are coming to a head as the city readies for the commencement of his trial. Jury selection begins on Monday, March 8.
While the city has been preparing for months to host the trial in collaboration with local, state, and national law enforcement partners under a plan it is calling Operation Safety Net, local activists and organisers have as well, as they promise to demand justice for Floyd through peaceful protest beginning the morning of jury selection.
Community and activist groups are planning a number of events, from pre-protest information and safety training sessions to various actions near the trial’s location in downtown Minneapolis and its capital twin city, St Paul, leading up to March 8 and beyond.
City officials have prepared for Derek Chauvin's trial with stepped-up security and community outreach intended to prevent a repeat of last year's subsequent unrest.