Minnesota Looking Into Broader Remote Coverage of Courts
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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The state of Minnesota is looking into expanding remote coverage of court proceedings, after a test run of sorts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In asking a committee to study the issue, the state Supreme Court noted Thursday that remote technology and livestreaming in the last year "provided increased transparency and accessibility at a time when physical access to court facilities was limited" because of the coronavirus.
Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie S. Gildea says the time is right to consider broader access to proceedings.
The rules on audio and video coverage were last updated in 2018.
Timeline: George Floyd's Death, Protests, Riots, Arrests, Chauvin Trial
It was late afternoon on Memorial Day, 2020 and many Minnesotans had observed the normally active weekend hunkered down because of the growing pandemic.
George Floyd drove to a grocery store in Minneapolis and bought some cigarettes. He was accused by employees of making the purchase with a counterfeit $20 bill and police were called. Floyd was still there in his vehicle when two officers arrived. About 10 minutes later, Chauvin and another officer showed up and the situation began to escalate. Chauvin began kneeling on Floyd's neck as he was facedown on the street. Despite repeated pleas from Floyd and a growing crowd of bystanders to remove his knee, Chauvin continued as if frozen in position with no facial expression.
After more than 8 minutes, Chauvin finally stood up and Floyd had become unresponsive. An ambulance was called and a short while later, it was reported Floyd was dead.
A video of the incident slowly spread on social media around the state, the country and the world. Viewers literally watched a man slowly die, repeating "I can't breathe."
The now historic response began the following day.
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