George Floyd Death Means Court Collision of Race, Spectacle (1)

The trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer accused of killing George Floyd, will combine elements of the prosecution of Los Angeles officers charged with beating Black motorist Rodney King and the media spectacle of O.J. Simpson’s murder case—all set against the modern backdrop of Black people dying at the hands of police.

The events last spring captured on viral footage that sparked calls for racial justice will be rehashed over a live broadcast from a socially-distanced courtroom, as a jury weighs whether the death that launched global support for the Black Lives Matter movement was a crime. ...