Darnella Frazier was only 17 years old, when she used her mobile phone to film Derek Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd’s neck until he suffocated and tragically died. Frazier was on her way to the convenience store with her nine-year-old cousin on 25 May, 2020 when she happened to stumble upon the incident.
Frazier’s video, which sparked mass demonstrations around the world, captured Floyd gasping for air as he begged Chauvin for his life. For 9 minutes and 29 seconds, the footage showed Floyd saying “I can’t breathe” 27 times and calling out for his mother. It was considered a key piece of evidence in the trial of Chauvin, who now faces up to 40 years in prison.
After video of the incident was posted on Facebook, protests began almost immediately in Minneapolis and quickly spread across the nation. Demonstrators chanting “Black Lives Matter” and “I Can’t Breathe” took to the streets from coast to coast. Floyd’s murder came after protests over the killings of Ahmaud Arbery in Atlanta in February and of Breonna Taylorin Louisville in March.
Another video captured on a mobile phone by Christopher Belfrey, helped Judge Cahill sentence Derek Chauvin to 22.5 years in prison on a second-degree murder charge under the Minnesota Department of Corrections. Belfrey was parking his car on the street corner, when he encountered two police officers standing above Floyd who was handcuffed, while sitting on the ground. Belfrey said he saw Floyd sitting in the driver's seat of a car before officers arrived.
People at the scene of George Floyd's arrest capturing videos on their mobile phones
An expert witness, Dr Lindsey Thomas said during the court proceedings, that the sheer volume of videos taken by bystanders of George Floyd's arrest helped her establish the view that oxygen deprivation, and not opioid overdose, is what killed George Floyd. The forensic pathologist told the jury she had never been involved in a case that had videos "over such a long time frame and from so many different perspectives". She said the videos made clear that George Floyd died because his body was deprived of oxygen by the way Chauvin and other officers pinned him to the ground as they arrested him.
Had it not been for these real, user generated videos taken by both Frazier and Belfrey, criminals like Derek Chauvin and his accomplices would have probably evaded arrest, and George Floyd's grieving family would never have got the justice they deserved!
User-generated content (also known as UGC) is original content created by everyday people, and published by them on social media or other channels. UGC comes in many forms, including images, videos, reviews, a testimonial, or even a podcast. The User-generated content (UGC) platforms market is anticipated to rise at a considerable rate. In 2021, the User-generated content (UGC) platforms market size was valued at USD 3.5 Billion, and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 27.03% reaching USD 147. 49 Billion by 2027.
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Launching in 2024 in London and Los Angeles, PRESSHOP aims to connect 7 Billion smartphone users with 21,000 publications around the world. At PRESSHOP, we are transforming news by empowering you ✊🏿
This blog has been inspired by true news articles and pictures published publicly on the internet. What happened to George Floyd was tragic, wrong, and should never happen again to anyone else! The House of Representatives passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Bill of 2021 legislation in March 2021. Democratic lawmakers believe that this BIll will reduce police violence against people of color, particularly Black Americans, while also improving policing for everyone. The bill specifically bans chokeholds and would end qualified immunity for police officers. Please follow us on our social handles (FB, Twitter (X), Insta and LinkedIn) for stories, blogs and real time content from our users who we call Hoppers here at PRESSHOP. #BlackLivesMatter #BLM #RIPGeorgeFloyd ✊🏿🖤
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