If you followed the story of George Floyd, you may be interested to know that the state trials of two of the officers involved have been delayed until January 2023. Why? The goal, the judge stated, was to do the best they could to provide the defendants a right to a fair trial.
The defense attorney in the case asked to change the venue due to the publicity around the case, but the judge did not agree to that. Instead, delaying the trial was the best the judge would do, since recent coverage about a fellow officer’s guilty plea and the federal conviction against all three could hurt jurors’ ability to presume innocence.
These two officers are accused with aiding and abetting manslaughter and murder.
Police brutality can’t be overlooked
It’s important for police officers accused of brutality to be held accountable for what has happened. At the same time, the justice system does rely on the right to a fair trial. While it may be that people want to see these trials happen sooner, it’s necessary to carry out justice the right way, which is by making sure the jury is as unbiased as possible.
Police brutality is a problem throughout the country
These and other cases have been in the spotlight as the issue of police brutality continues to come up. In 2019, 1,099 people were killed by police officers. In those cases, 21% of African American victims were unarmed. This is compared to 14% of white victims being unarmed.
The racial divide in killings is one of the reasons that these cases have to be handled swiftly and appropriately. Doing so could help prevent issues such as excessive force or brutality in the future.
If you’ve been victimized by the police, know that you have rights
If the police have violated your civil rights, you can take action. It is fair to look into your options, such as making a claim against the police station or filing a lawsuit against those who harmed you or someone you care about. This unacceptable behavior has to be answered for.