A Minnesota corrections officer is under internal investigation after making an outburst during a statewide moment of silence for George Floyd on Tuesday.
The Star Tribune reported the moment of silence was issued by Gov. Tim Walz in coordination with Floyd’s funeral service in Houston, but as prison administrators cleared the air for the remembrance, a voice could be heard saying, “Is this for the injustice of having Derek Chauvin locked up?”
Floyd, who is black, died after Chauvin, who is white, knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes to restrain him despite pleas that he couldn’t breathe. Chauvin was charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, while three other officers, J. Alexander Keung, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao, were charged with aiding and abetting the charges.
Chauvin is awaiting trial at Oak Park Heights prison, Minnesota’s only maximum security facility. Because of his high-profile status, Chauvin is being held in administrative segregation, meaning he’s isolated from the general population for protection but maintains certain privileges.
The corrections officer’s comment was met with silence, and he was escorted out of the prison after the remark. He remains on paid leave.
Several minority officers filed complaints about the incident, citing his comment as “inappropriate.” Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell said it was in the interest of everyone to send the officer home and that “comments like that have the potential to affect the safety of the facility.”
Following Floyd’s death, Schnell sent an email to 4,300 staff members of the Department of Corrections addressing the incident and announcing his intention to hold two employee listening sessions, with one specifically for minority employees.
“I would particularly like to provide space for our DOC colleagues of color to discuss and process our collective work in a system that reflects a profound disparate impact on people of color,” Schnell wrote. “These realities cannot be overlooked and their impact cannot be underestimated. Starting these conversations will not be easy, but they are profoundly necessary.”
Floyd’s death sparked protests around the world, heightening the conversation of racial injustice and police brutality. Police reform efforts and calls to even abolish policing, as it’s been known, have been the focus of several municipalities, including Minneapolis.
