Deviance and Its Consequences
Murder is one of the deviant behaviors that occur across global communities. Nobody has the right to take someone’s life, either willingly or unwillingly. George Floyd’s murder by police officers is the case that highlights deviant behavior. One of the police officers caused the death by pressing his knee on Floyd’s neck (Parks, 2020). The other police officer failed to prevent the outcome even after realizing that the victim experienced breathing challenges. These officers were unable to live to their mandate and expectations by intentionally causing one of the community members’ death. They must protect and save lives and not expose individuals to death. In this case, the police officers are directly involved in a murder. They break social norms and rules that call for the protection of human life since it is sacred, and only God has the right to do so. The officers create a bad image and reputation for the police force with their murder action. This behavior should be eliminated at the community level as it threatens peace and unity among diverse groups.
When the murder incident occurred, a video was captured by one of the witnesses. One of the police officers was caught kneeling on a handcuffed suspect (Meyer, 2020). Bystanders tried to urge the police officers to remove his knee on the victim’s head to allow him to breathe. The group that witnessed the murder was composed of men and women from distinct backgrounds. They were all concerned about the state of the arrested man pinned on the ground. He was shouting, “I cannot breathe,” but the police officer kept him pinned on the ground (Jankowicz, 2020). The witnesses stood by the helpless man whereby they forgot their distinct background and focused on helping save a life. However, the police officers did not heed the call, and this later caused Floyd’s death.
The people standing close to the scene of the incident tried to talk to the police officers to allow the victim to breathe. They informed the officers that the man could not breathe appropriately and urged the one holding his head down to stop, but he continued pinning his head down the ground. The witnesses also stated that the man had not resisted arrest, and it was unfair for the police officers to harass him in such a manner. Some of them called 911 for immediate action. One of the bystanders called 911 and said that “they have killed a person that was not resisting arrest as one of the officers had his keen on the man’s neck the whole time” (Jankowicz, 2020). These actions from the bystanders show their desire to help the victim. However, the other officers stopped anyone who they felt was a threat to them. For example, if someone tried to get close to the scene, they held their guns tight. The witnesses were agitated and sad as they witness a helpless man to lose his life.
Overall, the witness tries their best to protect and save Floyd, but the police officers made it hard for them to achieve their goal. These officers had arms at their disposal that threatened bystanders from taking any possible actions. The incident led to a murder that is deemed as deviant behavior. Society calls for the protection and conservation of human life. Nobody has the right to take another person’s life, and the police offices broke this social norm.
References
Jankowicz, M. (2020). ‘They f—ing killed him’: 911 transcripts from George Floyd’s death show horrified witnesses reporting his arrest. Business Insider. Retrieved 18 December 2020, from https://www.businessinsider.com/george-floyd-911-transcripts-show-bystanders-reporting-killing-2020-6?IR=T.
Meyer, E.D. (2020). The Dereck-Chauvin-George Floyd Case: A Case of Race or Class?
Parks, B. (2020). George Floyd’s death was ‘murder,’ and the accused officer ‘knew what he was doing,’ Minneapolis police chief says. CNN. Retrieved 18 December 2020, from https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/24/us/minneapolis-police-chief-comment-george-floyd-trnd/index.html.
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