Protests have erupted across the US after a video showed George Floyd, a 46-year old African American man, being arrested in Minneapolis on 25 May and a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, continuing to kneel on his neck even after Floyd pleaded that he could not breathe.
Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder and will appear in court next week. The three other former officers, Thomas Lane, J Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao – all of whom were at the scene – remain under investigation.
The case has reignited deep-seated anger over police killings of black Americans and racism. Paul Butler, a former federal prosecutor and author of Chokehold: Policing Black Men talks to Anushka Asthana about why he believes the US justice system needs urgent reforms otherwise the killings of black Americans at the hands of police officers will continue.
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