MNA Nurses respond to the killing of a black Minnesotan by Minneapolis Police

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:  Rick Fuentes
(o) 651-414-2863
(c) 612-741-0662
rick.fuentes@mnnurses.org

Amber Smigiel
(o) 651-414-2849
(c) 651-202-0845
amber.smigiel@mnnurses.org

“As nurses, we see the horrific effects of racism in our hospitals and community every day. We cannot remain silent as yet another black man has died at the hands of police. Last night, George Floyd, a black Minnesotan, was pinned to the ground as he repeatedly told the white police officer he could not breathe. Even after Mr. Floyd’s body went limp, the police officer continued to use his knee and full body weight to pin him down until a stretcher was brought to take him away. George Floyd’s last words were “I can’t breathe.” George Floyd died shortly after arriving at the hospital.

In a hospital or clinic, when a person says “I can’t breathe” they are immediately swarmed by medical professionals who triage the situation and treat them immediately. They work hard to save lives. In the case of George Floyd, Minneapolis Police took no care or life-saving measures. Instead, they left him pinned down to the ground until paramedics arrived. Police ignored the pleas of George Floyd and he died.

Nurses care for all patients, regardless of their gender, race, religion or other status. We expect the same from the police. Unfortunately, nurses continue to see the devastating effects of systematic racism and oppression targeting people of color in our communities. We demand justice for George Floyd and a stop to the unnecessary death of black men at the hands of those who should protect them.”

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32 Comments

  1. The question is-do we know all the facts? Just as in any profession there are good and bad participants (including nursing). As a former ER nurse who worked side by side with police officers I’ve seen my share of both. But I will always give the benefit of a doubt to the cop and will always suspect the perp of being just another scumbag whining about popo abuse no matter what the race or sex or age or persuasion of individuals involved. In case you think I’m just another white guy from a white town guess again.I cut my nursing teeth in Chicago and Milwaukee amongst all ethnicities and persuasions. So unless you’re just too much of a liberal lefty to do anything but, don’t side against the police all the time,weigh the facts and remember who will come to your aid if you get in trouble, not the perp but rather the police.
    Signed,
    The old ER nurse

  2. George Floyd did nothing to deserve death. He was cuffed, on the ground and under the control of 3 police officers. I struggle to understand why officer Derek Chauvin would not release his knee from Mr. Floyd’s neck. The footage of the traffic stop has been released. There’s no need to speculate. Nothing occurred that warranted killing Mr. Floyd. The police cannot be judge and jury, especially in a controlled encounter.

    As a conservative Christian, I don’t understand how anyone can watch this video and suggest that there’s a “rest of the story” that would justify the killing. Mr. Floyd wasn’t a perp. He was suspected of writing a bad check. No charges. No due process.

    Definitely not the outcome I expect for being suspected of writing a bad check.

  3. Yes, we do know all of the pertinent facts. He is on video plain as day pleading that he cannot breathe to the ones “who will come to your aid if you get in trouble” and they not only ignored him, but continued to apply pressure to his neck, even as he loss consciousness. This has nothing to do with politics but professionalism.
    ~the new and improved ER Nurse

  4. Just because you worked with other ethnicities DOES NOT DISMISS YOUR RACISM. I can feel your racist predilections from here.

    A human life no matter what color should be treated as such. Innocent until proven guilty. PEOPLE like you are exactly what is wrong with this country.

    A person sick of excuses for police facilitated murder
  5. Burt needs to brush up on his observation skills if he thinks we don’t have enough information from the video to make a logical conclusion about both the absence of a threat and the presence of a medical emergency. You might work in an ER, sir, but you are a terrible nurse with those kind of assessment skills.

  6. I am currently reading The Blood of Emmett Till. The book is a detailed account of the murder of this young boy in 1955, the violent suppression of black Mississippians and the systematic racism of the time. I heard of the murder of Mr Floyd and it deeply saddens me and makes me fearful that police community relations will never improve; that it will never be safe for persons of color to live freely in Minnesota.

  7. As one of the commenters mentioned above, law enforcement is not the judge, jury and executioner. That’s not their role. As a former MPD officer (2nd precinct) the proper procedures are to use the least amount of force to maintain control of the situation. I support my brothers in blue, but I also hold them accountable to our path.

  8. Can we delete Burt’s disrespectful comment? It adds no value and is rather hateful and harmful:

  9. Thank you for posting and taking a stand!

  10. Typical leftist liberals. Silence anyone who doesn’t agree with them! Well old Burt the retired nurse is a member of the rightwing majority that represents every thing right about this country. While conservatives are certainly not perfect we are a far cry closer to being right than any Bernie bro or poor old uncle Joe supporter who believe that killing babies is a kind civil thing to do. So to all you lefty baby killers out there, because if you support abortion you’re doing it, I say give me your best shot in a reply, I can’t wait.

  11. Well, i don’t think we can delete Burt’s comment, freedom of speech is a right for everyone.. even those who are wrong unfortunately. I can’t get involved in saying whether the crime was racist or not but it remains a manslaughter and the cop should face his responsibility towards such an action. I guess history made this a common thing in the US in the past, but things need to change. That kind of behaviour cannot be tolerated anymore. Also I can’t take seriously someone talking about abortion as “killing babies”, that’s completely out of the point~

    John, the French liberal
  12. Wow, I am absolutely appalled by some of these post!!! What the hell is wrong with people, the video shows a man being murder, by a POLICE OFFICER!!! What does anyone’s Political view have to do with a police officer murdering a man, which by the way is on video, with multiple witnesses telling these demons that he isn’t breathing & that he was killing him!! YOU MUST BE CLOSE TO RETIREMENT, because you apparently didn’t see the same video!!!! Some people need a good OLD concussion!!! The Old RN has a right to his ridiculous, obviously racist opinions, doesn’t mean he is right at ALL. YOU ARE A HORRIBLE HUMAN BEING, YOU SHOULDN’T BE A NURSE!!!! NOT only that the MNA is supporting that this is wrong!!! Go troll elsewhere!!!

    REAL NURSE FOR THE RIGHT REASONS 😇
  13. Thanks for the concussion threat further establishing that the liberal mind is mentally deranged. Name calling ,threats, and belittling are sure signs of the lefty liberal socialist like person that you no doubt are. Hey genius, did you read the article in the Duluth Tribune today? It says: 1-all tapes of the incident are currently being reviewed, 2-all statements from officers involved are being currently taken and processed,3-the police UNION is urging all involved to wait until all information has been reviewed before passing judgement and 4- the left winged nutjobs at the protest scene were rioting breaking window glass, etc just like the good little libs they are. Oh, and thanks for showing your prejudice against old people just like a good little young liberal should.

  14. Ha, ah Burt, you’re the most cliche hypocritical asshole. Keep commenting, at least it’s good entertainment for those who know your sorry ass isn’t worth arguing with.

  15. Thanks for your disgusting sophomoric comment’s which just further validate the fact that liberalism is a mental disorder. Now go back to your parents basement smoke your weed and have a nice day.

  16. If liberalism is a mental disorder then conservatives are a pain in the ass let me tell you that.. For a retired nurse sir, you really are disrespectful to mentally ill persons. And assuming that a person’s political opinion makes him a “weed smoker” is very wrong, even for you. You don’t even know if that man is liberal, come on get some rest old man..

    John, the French liberal
  17. Again thanks for the insult toward old people. Some day if you live long enough you’ll be there too johnny boy. And I would never be disrespectful toward any mentally ill person but I relish being disrespectful to any loud mouthed lib I come in contact with.

  18. I’ve seen this all over the Facebook. Damn. Being an old fart I wasn’t so sure at first. Wanted all the facts. The video footage from local retailers indicate that Mr. Floyd was under control and did not resist arrest. Furthermore, it has also been shared by the police department that he did not write a bad check, for which he was being detained. So, regardless of ethnicity, why would we want to a police force that goes rogue? I refuse to turn in my MAGA gear and Boomer card, but even I see an issue with this.

  19. Freedom of speech is a right that the US government cannot silence you. It doesn’t mean that MNA or anyone else has to allow you to use their platform as your soapbox to speak so degradingly about fellow humans. I’m afraid that a lot of people aren’t aware or easily forget that first amendment rights don’t obligate any non-government entity to lend you their platform, especially if it counters their own values.

    Nickole, Pro-Choice Lefty-Liberal-Socialist antiracist LGBTQ SJW
  20. Gee thanks for the constatutional lesson. So what’s happening today in Minneapolis? The investigation into the arrest from a few days ago is ongoing and not looking good for the cops. Many people are putting out momentos and flowers for the deceased. The police UNION and the mayor are urging calm and peaceful protests are on going. Wait,did I say peaceful??? Oh yah I forgot. To groups like antifa and BLM and I suppose to most liberal, socialist types things like looting, destroying, attacking others, setting fires to other’s property, throwing things, yelling, cursing and threatening others is their idea of peacefulness. Please don’t bother to reply if you think this”peacefulness”is justified because I already stated that a liberal, socialist mind does think these criminal acts are a sign that a peaceful protest is occurring. This is especially true for the former commenter who said that comparing abortion to baby killing was ridiculous. If that one is a nurse(I doubt it)then they need to do an OB review, look at some preborn baby pictures and learn a few things. So to one and all I say have a good day and I waswant to let you know that I don’t expect any replies because I’m sure you’re to busy participating in those peaceful Minneapolis protests.
    Sincerely,
    The retired ER RN

  21. Really

  22. Really??? The video is so clear, but this argument is what’s wrong with the world today. There are people in this world that choose to not do the right thing and they come in many different colors. As a believer I could not see anything but racism and hate in that officers body language. He was enjoying it the whole time

  23. If you’re condemning looting more vehemently than you are condemning the system that allowed a man “who will come to your aid” to kneel on another man’s neck until he died, your claims that you value life are utterly disingenuous. Put your keyboard away and pick up some W.E.B. du Bois, Burt. I think you missed some valuable history lessons. Old age doesn’t guarantee wisdom, especially if you think you know it all already.

    NICKOLE, PRO-CHOICE LEFTY-LIBERAL-SOCIALIST ANTIRACIST LGBTQ SJW
  24. Thanks for the comment. Now I’ll free you to go and riot with your pals, support a baby killing establishment or whatever your little liberal heart desires. I’m sure you’re time is valuable!
    Sincerely,
    The old ER nurse

  25. Yeah, you’re totally right. I do have better things to do than try to influence someone so committed to their ad hominem, straw men arguments to try to detract from the fact that they continue to miss the point even when it is coming at them from multiple angles.

    Good luck, Burt. I hope you find enough peace to stop being so hateful toward strangers and gain enough insight to see the errors in your logic and communication.

    NICKOLE, PRO-CHOICE LEFTY-LIBERAL-SOCIALIST ANTIRACIST LGBTQ SJW
  26. Thanks. And maybe some day you’ll see the light and start living the way you should and being what you were created to be. So my advice to you is to seek truth and an old book written long ago before any human philosopher you quote existed says if you do so earnestly you’ll find it. Will it happen in your case? I kinda doubt it but there is always a chance.
    Sincerely,
    The old retired RN

  27. I find it so utterly cringeworthy that people can reference the bible while defending a man who killed an unarmed, non-violent, compliant PERSON. You belittle ‘liberals’ for name calling but that is all that comes out of your comments. And I don’t believe a single person on this thread or from the original statement were defending the looting and violence of the protest. However, it doesn’t dismiss the original horrifying act of murder. Get your shit together Burt, as a God fearing man it looks like you may not be ending up where you want to. Does it help you sleep at night, your witty comments putting anyone you deem less worthy down? I see you, it must be tough to have so much hate in you.

    Rachel- Typical leftist liberal
  28. Thanks again for your concern. I’ve never had a bunch of liberal socialist types so concerned about me. It really comforts me, thanks again. I see that some kind benevolent socialist types beat, strangled, shot mace and a fire extinguisher at a little old lady in a motorized wheelchair yesterday while looting, burning and destroying a store she was trying to defend. Ah, the kind heartedness of liberal socialist people at work. How wonderful it is to know that like minded libs are so concerned about my well being. I’m assuming the fires I see in the distance toward Minneapolis way are bonfires where all good liberal socialists are encircling hand in hand singing a loving version of kumbaya. It’s so nice to know that these wonderful individuals are so bonding and caring in these distressed times. Pardon me for a second while I weep for joy for the love and concern being shown by liberal socialists both in Minneapolis and on this website. It’s so touching.
    Sincerely,
    The old retired nurse

  29. They, the police may come to MY aid, since I’m white. I’m checking my privilege as we, white people, all should be. Chicago and Milwaukee and MPLS and Duluth and the rest of the country need to check their white privilege and with humility educate themselves, reflect, and speak up to protect and truly serve all of mankind. Acknowledge their privilege, learn about true black history, so that they can do better. Healthcare vows to first do no harm. The world can be a better place if we all really try to do this, especially when it comes to black lives because BLACK LIVES MATTER.

    Chris D, Hospital Bedside RN, Compassionate Humanitarian
  30. And so do pre born babies lives matter, PBBLM, but I suppose that a liberal brain can’t wrap itself around that. Sincerely,
    The old ER RN

  31. It’s absolutely terrible what happened to Mr Floyd. When a police officer hears someone say ” i can’t breathe ” they obviously need to detain the suspect a different way. There was no need to keep the man pinned to the ground with his knee when he could have detained him differently. What I don’t understand is all the looting, arson and acts of violence that are springing up all over the place. These officers will see there day in court there is no need to act out and commit more crimes just because they did. I’m angry as hell about what happened to Mr Floyd but im certainly not going to throw a brick through a store window and steal plasma tvs and break into cash registers because im mad. This nonsense needs to stop don’t use Mr Floyd’s wrongful death as an excuse to go out and commit crimes against other people and property I doubt Mr Floyd would have wanted anyone to do that!

  32. Don’t feed the trolls, y’all. That’s what they want. Ignore them, and they wither and die.

    Hospice nurse that knows life is too short to waste time arguing with nobodies online.

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