Nicole Galloway – the Missouri state auditor running for governor as a Democrat – said the Minneapolis Police officers responsible for the killing of George Floyd “should be held accountable.”
On Friday, soon after Galloway issued her statement, now former-Police Officer Derek Chauvin, who kept his knee on Floyd’s neck as Floyd said he was dying, was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. There also is an ongoing FBI investigation into Floyd’s death.
Galloway said the police killing of Floyd – who plainly told police that the knee on his neck was killing him just before he died – provided “another painful glimpse into our fractured criminal justice system.”
“In Missouri, we are all too familiar with this pain,” Galloway said in a statement.
“Fixing it starts with accountability; otherwise, we cannot foster trust and compassion between communities and the brave individuals who are sworn to protect them. The disparities in our criminal justice system are real, and we must do the work of building a Missouri that is fair and accountable to all of its citizens.”
Though Galloway has four opponents in the August 4 primary, they are little-known while she previously won a statewide election. In the general election, she will likely be the Democrat to face the incumbent, Gov. Mike Parson.
Parson was elected lieutenant governor in 2016 then became governor through the resignation of Eric Greitens. He has three little-known opponents in the Republican primary. One, Saundra McDowell, ran against Galloway for state auditor in 2018 and was the only Republican to lose that general election.
Parson, formerly the sheriff of Polk County, said Floyd’s death “didn’t look too good” at his press briefing on May 28. “Law enforcement’s primary job is to help people and not hurt people,” Parson said.
Galloway echoed what Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for U.S. president, said two days earlier. Biden said the officer who killed Floyd and those who watched him die should be “held more fully accountable.”
President Donald Trump said on Twitter early on May 29 that the National Guard should be deployed to quell the unrest in Minneapolis and should open fire on anyone taking goods from stores damaged during protests. “When the looting starts the shooting starts,” Trump tweeted.
Minnesota abolished the death penalty in 1911. In no state is property destruction or theft punishable by death.
Biden responded, saying he was “furious” over the president “calling for violence against American citizens”
State Senator Karla May’s statement:
America should be ashamed to uphold this image of injustice. It is a threat to the future and character of our country. Until it is realized that no one is above the law and all should be held accountable for injustice, I believe this country will continue to experience a charred relationship between law enforcement and those they are charged to protect and serve.
Our country’s established system of justice does not support or call for one or a concert of individuals to be the judge, jury and executioner. We must uphold this system by being diligent in terms of criminal justice reform and by calling for the arrest and prosecution of all officers involved in the death of George Floyd.
