The Philip DeFranco Show - BONUS 5.28 May Be No Criminal Charges in George Floyd Case. Protests, Riot, & More

Episode Date: May 28, 2020

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Hey, hope you're well. This video is essentially part two of today's Thursday Philip DeFranco show. We've been having to split up the videos into different stories just because some, like this one, are heavier. So if you want to watch part one before this video or after the video, it's the top link down below. Also, you can click right there. But that said, what we're going to be talking about in this video are the updates and the fallout that we're seeing from the George Floyd situation that we talked about yesterday. If you haven't seen our breakdown, I hated filming that video, but I feel like we did a very good job of showing everything that is known right now. Link down below.

But today we're gonna start talking about the protests. It started on Tuesday, we talked about them yesterday, but last night we saw them escalate drastically as thousands of people took to the streets. According to reports, just like Tuesday's protests, the demonstration started out peacefully with protesters gathering in the afternoon outside of the third precinct headquarters.

But by the early evening, officers reportedly started trying to disperse them with flashbang grenades, tear gas, rubber bullets. Protestors responding by throwing objects at the precinct building and the officers. And those clashes reportedly went on throughout the night as the situation got worse and worse,

protesters then setting fire and looting stores, which is also the reason you had so many people saying that they're not protesters anymore, the people engaging in this, they're rioters. Now according to reports, the looting started at a target across the street from the precinct before spreading to other parts of the city, and there we saw numerous videos and social media

of people destroying property, taking things out of the store. Local outlets also reporting that a grocery store and several small businesses were looted. Very notably, there was a man who was shot and killed by a pawn shop owner, marking the first and only reported fatality thus far from these protests. This according to reports when the shop owner opened fire

on a man who he believed was trying to loot his store, with it also being reported that at least five people were shot. Another notable thing here is the fact that police reportedly did not do anything to stop the looters, which is why it was also reported that at least one group of armed men stood outside of a strip mall.

And in an interview that's now gone viral, one of the men said that they were going around the city helping store owners because police weren't, but also at the same time saying they were actually in support of the protest. Basically, you've seen the records that cops keep, and cops are a lot less likely to try and tread on people's rights when there's other armed Americans

with them. It's about damn time some heavily armed rednecks stood with fellow citizens. So bottom line, just for Floyd, and I hope they stop looting at some point. A small group of protesters also gathered outside the houses of the Hennepin County attorney, as well as a house believed to belong to Derek Chauvin,

who of course is the officer who had his knee on Floyd's neck. With protesters there writing, "'A murderer lives here in chalk on the street "'outside of that house.'" We also saw multiple fires being set all over the city, with some of the biggest fires taking place at an AutoZone store in an affordable housing building

that was under construction. You had firefighters going around responding to these fires. There were reports that people were throwing rocks and other objects at them. And those protests went on through the night and still went on this morning. And actually, as of this morning, there were videos still showing some fires smoldering,

news outlets sharing pictures of police officers in riot gear still standing off against people in the streets. Right, and so one of the things with this story is it is ongoing and still a developing situation, right? Just this afternoon, we saw more unrest breaking out in the neighboring city of St. Paul. And there, according to reports,

dozens of people looted stores and some threw rocks, bricks, and liquor bottles at police cars. Notably, we also saw another target there being looted. It's also been reported that protesters in Minneapolis are planning for another demonstration tonight. And so with all of this, we saw Minnesota Governor Tim Walz declaring a state of emergency in Minneapolis,

St. Paul and the surrounding areas as well as activating the Minnesota National Guard. With Walz saying in a statement, "'It is time to rebuild, rebuild the city, "'rebuild our justice system and rebuild the relationship "'between law enforcement and those "'they're charged to protect.'" George Floyd's death should lead to justice and systemic change, not more death and destruction.

And that sentiment is something that we've seen from local leaders and others who have been calling for peace. Like Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frye, who pleaded with people to stay home and be safe in a tweet, writing, "'Please Minneapolis, we cannot let tragedy beget more tragedy.'"

That was also echoed by Ilhan Omar, who represents Minneapolis in Congress, tweeting, "'Violence only begets violence. More force is only going to lead to more lives lost and more devastation.'" We also saw Ben Crump, the lawyer for George Floyd's family, making a similar argument, writing on Twitter that Floyd's family thanks the protesters argument writing on Twitter that Floyd's family

Thanks the protesters for standing for justice, but adding George Floyd's family wants peace in Minneapolis But knows that black people want peace in their souls and until we get justice for Floyd there will be no peace We cannot sink to the level of our oppressors and endanger each other as we respond to the necessary urge to raise our voices in Unison and in outrage looting and violence distract from strength of our collective voice." That is something that George Floyd's brother himself said this morning. I want, you know, everybody to be peaceful right now,

but people are torn and hurt because they're tired of seeing black men die constantly over and over again. But also, a thing that's important to recognize with stories like this is it's never really local. We're talking about a situation in Minneapolis, but in Los Angeles, we saw protesters gathering in front of City Hall and then blocking traffic on the 101.

And that protest was mostly peaceful though. We did see reports of demonstrators breaking the windows out of California Highway Patrol cars. Also in Memphis, a group of people marched in protest and gathered outside of a police building. But then a small group of counter protesters showed up, both sides started yelling, prompting police to step in. They reportedly allowed both sides to protest without coming in contact but did take some demonstrators into custody

And so with this being such a big story, obviously a very fresh wound We've also seen people online raising their voices Right people calling for change not just with the police who are responsible for Floyd's death to be arrested and charged But also for all of us to look at and change the systems that are in place that allowed this awful death to happen in The first place. Like I said yesterday, we shouldn't know the name George Floyd. This should not be something that ever happened

or even got close. And so among those speaking up, you have people like Demi Lovato writing, "'This is not okay, and it will not stop "'until everyone does their part, especially white people.' "'I said it recently and I'll say it again. "'Do not let your discomfort surrounding social issues "'prevent you from speaking up for those in danger.

"'And reality is, until this stops completely, the black community will continue to live in danger. Do your part, this involves you too. We also saw the likes of John Boyega getting a lot of support, but then also a lot of backlash. With him initially writing in a tweet yesterday, "'I really fucking hate racists.'" And then later in response to someone saying,

"'Yeah, my girlfriend said she hates white people. "'I broke up with her.'" He responded, "'I am talking about white on black racism, "'the kind that has ruined the world, "'not caused a little breakup with your girlfriend. And while that tweet currently has 1.6 million likes, there was a lot of support, it also appeared that there was a lot of backlash, specifically about that second part. And so that's why we actually saw Boyega taking to Instagram Live to defend that tweet. A black man was just murdered in cold blood in the streets stateside again, while saying that he can't breathe. That's a continuous cycle

going on and although I don't live in the states but I'm black. Fuck that. So I say again, fuck you racist white people. I said what I said and if you don't fucking like it, go suck a dick. Alright so you had that, and ultimately, that's where we are with this story that of course is still developing in many ways. We're gonna have to keep our eyes on this to see what's happening with the officers involved, including especially Derek Chauvin.

And to that point, the other three cops that were involved and fired have now also been named. The officer who stands next to Chauvin in the video has been identified as Tu Tao, with the other two now also being identified as Thomas Lane and J. Alexander King. And actually really notable here, this afternoon we saw the city release the complaint records

for all four of these officers. And while Lane and King had no complaints, Tao had six and Chauvin had 18. But as far as the investigations into this specific incident, the Department of Justice said this morning that it had made the federal investigation into Mr. Floyd's death a top priority. And according to reports,

FBI officials were expected to update reporters this afternoon. Though I should note regarding charges, as we were finishing up this video, we saw Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman say this. That that video is graphic and horrific and terrible and no person should do that. But my job in the end is to prove that he violated a criminal statute and there is other evidence that does not support a criminal charge. Which is an update to this story, the investigation in general, but also it brings up the question of what does this mean for the protests and riots that we've been seeing if there are no charges

at the end of this. And also we're going to have to keep our eyes on what happens tonight, the night after, as far as people out there in the streets protesting, things then escalating. And so with this story, I know there are numerous things, but what are your thoughts on this? You know, what are your thoughts on the label of protesters versus rioters? And when you see looting, destruction, buildings on fire, do you think that essentially changes the narrative of what's happening here, that it distracts from the point?

Or regarding moments like this, do you fall back on the words of Martin Luther King Jr.? That a riot is the language of the unheard. But also, if I can interject there, because I know a lot of people kind of fall back on this quote, MLK did say this, but I think it was an explanation for why people were seeing what they were seeing

and not a justification or an encouragement of. Because about 50 seconds later, he says this. I would hope that we can avoid riots because riots are self-defeating and socially destructive. And so I'd love to know your thoughts there. And then of course, regarding Boyega, the role white people should play in this. Anything and everything,

I'd love to know in those comments down below. But that is it for part two of today's Philip DeFranco show. If you happen to see this one first, you can watch the other 18 minutes in the top link down below or right somewhere. Yeah, thank you for watching.