Texas recommends posthumous pardon for George Floyd
Floyd was convicted of selling $10 of crack cocaine in a sting operation in the US state in 2004 when he lived there
05 October 2021 - 11:47
byAakriti Bhalla
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A sculpture of George Floyd at the SEEINJUSTICE art exhibition, in New York. Picture: REUTERS/SHANNON STAPLETON
Bengaluru — The Texas State Board of Pardons and Paroles voted on Monday to recommend George Floyd get a full posthumous pardon for a 2004 drug conviction, the Harris County District Attorney said.
Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who died in handcuffs while a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes during a 2020 arrest, became the face of a movement challenging police brutality and bias in the US criminal justice system.
The Texas board voted 7-0 to recommend the pardon, media reported, adding that the recommendation would be passed on to the Texas governor, Greg Abbott, for a final decision.
Floyd’s conviction was related to a February 2004 case when a police officer accused him of selling $10 worth of crack cocaine in a sting operation in Texas when he lived there, AP reported.
Floyd later pleaded guilty to a drug charge and was sentenced to 10 months in a state jail, the news agency said.
“We lament the loss of former Houstonian George Floyd and hope that his family finds comfort in [the] decision by the Texas State Board of Pardons and Paroles to recommend clemency for a 2004 conviction,” Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said.
Ogg urged the state governor to follow the board’s recommendation and grant clemency.
In April, an application for a posthumous pardon was filed on behalf of Floyd and his surviving family on the grounds that the arresting officer had manufactured the existence of confidential informants to bolster his cases, media reported.
The Texas State Board of Pardons and Paroles and Abbott’s office were not immediately available for comment.
Floyd’s death, which a passer-by filmed on video, stoked social upheaval, racial tensions and political strife in the US and beyond.
In June, a judge sentenced a former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin to 22-and-a-half years in prison after a jury found him guilty of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of Floyd.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Texas recommends posthumous pardon for George Floyd
Floyd was convicted of selling $10 of crack cocaine in a sting operation in the US state in 2004 when he lived there
Bengaluru — The Texas State Board of Pardons and Paroles voted on Monday to recommend George Floyd get a full posthumous pardon for a 2004 drug conviction, the Harris County District Attorney said.
Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who died in handcuffs while a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes during a 2020 arrest, became the face of a movement challenging police brutality and bias in the US criminal justice system.
The Texas board voted 7-0 to recommend the pardon, media reported, adding that the recommendation would be passed on to the Texas governor, Greg Abbott, for a final decision.
Floyd’s conviction was related to a February 2004 case when a police officer accused him of selling $10 worth of crack cocaine in a sting operation in Texas when he lived there, AP reported.
Floyd later pleaded guilty to a drug charge and was sentenced to 10 months in a state jail, the news agency said.
“We lament the loss of former Houstonian George Floyd and hope that his family finds comfort in [the] decision by the Texas State Board of Pardons and Paroles to recommend clemency for a 2004 conviction,” Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said.
Ogg urged the state governor to follow the board’s recommendation and grant clemency.
In April, an application for a posthumous pardon was filed on behalf of Floyd and his surviving family on the grounds that the arresting officer had manufactured the existence of confidential informants to bolster his cases, media reported.
The Texas State Board of Pardons and Paroles and Abbott’s office were not immediately available for comment.
Floyd’s death, which a passer-by filmed on video, stoked social upheaval, racial tensions and political strife in the US and beyond.
In June, a judge sentenced a former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin to 22-and-a-half years in prison after a jury found him guilty of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of Floyd.
Reuters
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