Shareeduh Tate, George Floyd’s cousin, said that she thinks the trial of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin is “going in the right direction.”
“The testimony from the experts really drove home what we thought all along, is that, you know, his cause of death was from the neck compression and not from a drug overdose,” Tate said.
The family is “dealing with it as best that we can” as they re-live Floyd’s death through the trial, she added.
Tate has said she’s “pessimistically optimistic” about the trial, and she thinks many Black Americans who are watching the trial feel the same way.
“We know that it’s not a foregone conclusion that we’ll end up with a conviction,” she said.
The first day of the trial stood out for her, she said, since that was the first time she saw the video of her cousin outside of Cup Foods.
Charles McMillan’s testimony also struck a chord with her, she said. McMillian, who was one of the first bystanders on the scene as Floyd was being taken into custody in May 2020, broke down on the stand during his testimony after watching footage of his arrest.
“There’s been a lot of prayers and support for our family. But I would ask that there be for the same for these bystanders and these people who are testifying, but who are essentially having to relive the fact that they, you know, they watched this murder in real-time. So I really liked the way that he seemed to … really connect with what was going on,” Tate said.
