Part 1:
White Male in his 20s, chemist
Citing his science training, the first juror selected said he is “pretty logical” and passionate about his work. He said that background would make him a good juror.
He plays Ultimate Frisbee and frequently hikes and backpacks during the warmer months. He and his fiancee recently visited the area where George Floyd died, in part because they have considered moving to that area of Minneapolis, he said.
He said he had not seen the now-famous bystander video of the confrontation that ended with Floyd’s death, only still images. But he said he’d be willing to watch the video during the trial: “For the sake of the jury process, I would be willing to be uncomfortable.”
Eric Nelson, Chauvin’s lead defense lawyer, asked the juror what he meant when he wrote on his juror questionnaire that Floyd had been “killed” by Chauvin. “I wouldn’t say it’s demonstrative of my opinion,” the juror replied.
He said his personal impression of the Minneapolis Police Department “is fine.”
Questioned about his opinions on Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter, he said, “I support the message that every life should matter equally.”
Mixed-race woman in her 20s
Getting a chance to serve on the Chauvin jury was the reason this young woman registered to vote, she told the court. “I was super-excited” to be called for the jury, she said. "That’s actually why I voted.”
The young woman, whose occupation didn't come up during jury questioning, has an uncle who works as a police officer in northern Minnesota. One of her only concerns about jury duty was whether she would have time to check her blood sugar because she has Type 1 diabetes.
Like some other jurors, she said she could face personal risk by serving. “But I’m not as concerned about it as I probably should be,” she said.
Friends “kind of consider me to a type of mediator,” she said, which could be helpful during jury deliberations.
She said she believes her community improved because of the massive protests that took place after Floyd’s death. Asked about her opinion on Black Lives Matter, she said, “I like the idea of what it's supposed to be about. But it’s been turned into a marketing scheme by companies.”
She noted that she’d heard some people mention that Floyd had drugs in his system. “I don’t necessarily agree” that drugs could have caused his death, she said. “It could have everything to do with it. It could have nothing to do with it.”
Business auditor, white man in his 30s
This juror said one concern about serving on the jury would be whether he could block out enough time from work for what's estimated to be a four-week trial.
A friend of a friend is a police officer, but the acquaintance wouldn’t sway his views, the juror said. Besides, the officer is on the K-9 unit and mostly “talks about his dog” with him, the man said.
The juror has seen parts of the bystander video two or three times, he said, but not the whole thing.
Questioned by prosecutor Steve Schleicher, he said he’d read that Floyd might have had “hard drugs in his system,” meaning anything stronger than marijuana. “Frankly, I don’t think that should have much influence on the case. Whether you’re involved in drugs or not shouldn’t affect whether you end up alive or dead,” he said.
He dismissed reports that Floyd had what he described as a "checkered past," saying, “What happened in the past shouldn’t be on trial here.”
Regarding Black Lives Matter, he said: “I think some of the ways that groups have gone about it hasn’t been the best. But I believe Black lives matter.”
Information technology manager, Black man in his 30s
The West Africa-born man who emigrated to the U.S. 14 years ago said he and his wife discussed “how it could have been me, or anyone else,” who died. He appeared to say that not because of his skin color, but because the couple once lived in the area where Floyd died.
Since coming to the U.S., he’s become a big fan of American football, rooting for the Minnesota Vikings and the Golden Gophers of the University of Minnesota. He said he withdrew from social media about a decade ago for security and privacy reasons. He manages several people at work and helps resolve conflicts, he said.
He saw clips of the video on TV. Based on what he saw and conversations with family and friends, he wrote on his jury questionnaire that he had a “somewhat negative” opinion of Chauvin.
However, he said he didn't know what had happened before the video started. Referring to Floyd, he said: “I think it was important for me to know the facts that led to his arrest and how he ended up dying.”
People in his community understood the protests that followed Floyd’s death, he said. However, they “were not okay with the looting” that occurred.
He opposes the movement to defund police departments. “For the police to make my community safe,” he said, “they have to have the money.”
****Health care advocacy group executive, white woman in her 50s ****
This single mother has two sons in high school and said she loves the outdoors.
Although she watched only some of the bystander video, what she saw was troubling. “It was emotional,” she said. “I decided I didn’t want to watch it.”
In her juror questionnaire, she wrote that she didn’t know police procedures. “But a man died, and that’s not procedure,” she wrote. Floyd was “not a model citizen,” but he “didn’t deserve to die,” she wrote.
She “had sympathy for Mr. Floyd, as well as the officers,” she wrote, because “everyone’s life changed.”
During jury questioning, the woman said she is concerned about personal safety and privacy, even though the judge said jurors’ names would not be made public until sometime after the trial when he deems it safe.
She said the protests after Floyd’s death produced something good – “the raising of voices around the world for change – and something bad. “The businesses suffered,” she said.
Although she said she “wouldn’t want a community without” police, she supports criminal justice reform. “It’s years and years of laws made for a society that no longer exists. And it’s got to change,” she said.
She said a Black friend at work had taught her about inherent bias by describing the detailed instructions she felt she needed to give her son on what to do if he were ever pulled over by police.
“I never thought about that for my son,” the juror said.
Banking professional, Black man in his 30s
He said he enjoys his job because he works one-on-one with customers and helps them set and meet financial goals. A basketball fan, he coaches youth sports, which he said often entails mediating disputes among parents over their kids' playing time.
He wrote on his questionnaire that he wanted to be picked for the jury because “from all the protests … this is the most historic case of my lifetime and I’d like to be a part of it.”
He said he’s seen parts of the bystander video two or three times, but never in its entirety.
He voiced strong opinions in his juror questionnaire, but in court he said he could assess the trial evidence impartially.
He did not think Chauvin “set out to murder anyone,” he wrote. However, “Why didn’t the other officers stop Chauvin?”
Apparently referring to Chauvin, he wrote: “I don’t know if he was doing something wrong or not. But somebody did die.”
The juror recounted interactions with police that painted them in different ways. Once he saw cops slam a kid to the ground, which he characterized as overkill. However, some police officers go to the gym where he works out, and “they’re great guys,” he said.
Answering a question from Schleicher, a prosecutor, he said he would be able to explain a not-guilty verdict to the children he coaches.
Executive assistant, white woman in her 50s
The mother of two older children, an assistant to a healthcare industry executive, said some of the rioting that erupted after Floyd’s death happened near her home.
She’s a motorcycle enthusiast who began riding with her husband before he died. She said she still rides her 2018 Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail “with him, now, in spirit.”
She said she had heard about the bystander video in news reports, but she “could never watch the whole thing” because it would be “too disturbing for me.”
On her questionnaire, she wrote about the police officers: “I think they could have handled it differently.”
She offered mixed views about police in general. Last summer, she saw cops question a young Black man who had been yelled at by a woman. She described the police response as “harassment.”
However, she said had “placed trust” in police officers. “I believe in that, unless they show me something different,” she said.
Referring to the protestors who lashed out after Floyd’s death, she said, “maybe they felt they were never heard. ... I don’t believe that to be true, but I’m not them.”
Management professional, Black man in his 40s
An immigrant who came to Minnesota roughly 18 years ago, this man was among the potential jurors who knew about the $27 million civil settlement the city of Minneapolis reached with Floyd’s family over his death. The settlement was announced during jury selection.
“I don’t know what it was about,” he said. “I will put it aside.”
After saying he had seen the bystander video, the man said “it would be helpful” if Chauvin testified in his own defense. However, he said he would not hold it against the former officer if he exercised his constitutional right not to testify.
The man said he had not formed an opinion about who or what killed Floyd.
He said he was satisfied with how police responded after his home was burglarized, even though they were unable to solve the crime. The “defund the police” movement is misguided, he said. “If they were defunded, how could they come and help me?”
Questioned about Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter, the man said, “every life matters, and should not be disrespected.”
The man said he’s teaching a young relative how to drive, which prompted an exchange about police stops. If his young relative were pulled over by police officers, he said he would advise him to stop and answer their questions.
“Cooperation is good,” he said. “That is my opinion, yes.”
Juror No. 2 is a white man in his 20s who works as a chemist. He is the only juror who claims to have never seen video of Floyd’s arrest.
Juror No. 9 is a woman in her 20s who is multiracial. During questioning, she said her uncle is a police officer and Chauvin may have acted in the way he’s accused of because Floyd was potentially resisting arrest or other civilians were in danger. She said she was “super excited” to get her jury notice.
Juror No. 19 is a white man who works as an auditor, is in his 30s and has a friend who works for the MPD. He said he supports Black Lives Matter as a general concept and has an unfavorable opinion of Blue Lives Matter.
Juror No. 27 is a black man in his 30s who works in computer security and holds a somewhat negative view of Chauvin. He said he hopes to learn more about the events that led up to Floyd’s arrest.
Juror No. 44 is a white woman in her 50s who works in the nonprofit sector. She strongly believes the criminal justice system is biased against minorities.
Juror No. 52 is a black man who works in banking and is in his 30s. He claimed to have neutral opinions on Chauvin and Floyd.
Juror No. 55 is a white woman who works in healthcare and is in her 50s. During questioning, she said “all lives matter to me. It doesn’t matter who they are or what they are.”
Juror No. 79 is a black man, native to the area, who is in his 40s and works in management. He said he trusts police but feels jurors should evaluate an officer’s actions.
Juror No. 85 is a woman in her 40s who is multiracial and works as a consultant. She claims to have a neutral view of Floyd and has pretty strong faith in the police.
Juror No. 89 is a white woman who works as a registered nurse and is in her 50s. She somewhat disagrees that it isn’t right to second-guess police officers and their decisions.
Juror No. 91 is a black woman in her 60s who used to work in marketing before she retired. She holds very favorable views of the Black Lives Matter movement and also has a relative who is a cop.
Juror No. 92 is a white woman who works in insurance and is in her 40s. She said she knows people who’ve struggled with addiction and doesn’t agree that someone who uses drugs or doesn’t cooperate with police should be treated poorly.
Juror No. 96 is an unemployed white woman in her 50s who claims to have never seen cops treat minorities differently or with more force than white people.
Juror No. 118 is a white woman who works as a social worker and is in her 20s. She believes police reform is necessary but she also is “always looking at every side of things.”
Juror No. 131 is a white man who works as an accountant and is in his 20s. Initially, he had a somewhat negative opinion of Chauvin and views Black Lives Matter somewhat favorably.
I didn't miss anything, did I?
I'm gonna get a Smith and Wesson M&P-9 2.0 Compact since I'm unable to find a Glock 19 anywhere. That and a nice mountain bike, or maybe an electric bike.
Since he was involved in casinos, steaks, wines, dining, hotels, golf courses, housing, pretty much everything, why not fund the creation of a vaccine? Can you imagine how that'd go?
"The COVID is coming through our bodies, through our noses, our skin cells, and they're bringing in bad particles. And some, I assume, are healthy bacteria. But they've got to get out. We're gonna make antibodies great again, believe me. The liver knows it, the stem cells know it, and the white cells are gonna come and make us whole again." CUE YMCA,
What options do I have? I sure as fuck don't want to get a damn vaccine.
