Sentencing former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin to 22+ years in prison for the in-custody death of George Floyd is an outrage and an egregious miscarriage of justice. This was a mob-driven political prosecution and Chauvin is a political prisoner.

(1)  The case was tainted by a significant abuse of judicial discretion, prosecutorial and jury misconduct. There is no doubt in my mind that Chauvin was deprived of his constitutional right to a fair trial and reversible errors will be addressed in an appeal.

(2)  The prosecution’s case was based on a lie – that Chauvin kept his knee on George Floyd’s neck for more than 9-minutes and George Floyd died of asphyxia even though Floyd had ingested a fatal level of Fentanyl and had significant underlying medical conditions. There were no signs of asphyxia and a video shot from another angle revealed that Chauvin’s knee was not on Floyd’s neck.

(3)  In many ways, Chauvin’s sentence is worse than that given to a murderer as he must be kept segregated from the general population for his own protection.

(4)  There is no doubt in my mind that this was a political prosecution – not to seek justice, but to quell the ongoing street riots and national publicity.

(5)  I am dismayed that the police were quick to condemn Chauvin and did not offer him more support.

(6)  That the City would pay the Floyd family $27 million prior to the trial for the life of a drug-addled thug is egregious and demonstrates the political nature of the prosecution.

(7)  That the Department of Justice is prosecuting Chauvin for the same crime is a further egregious and political act.

(8)  That Minnesota sentencing guideline’s called for 12-1/2 years due to Chauvin’s lack of a criminal record, but Judge Cahill agreed with prosecutors that there were alleged aggravating circumstances that could justify a 10-year enhancement. 

Bottom line…

I can’t even begin to imagine under what circumstances a police officer would want to risk his life, his family, and future by attempting to uphold the law when the possibility of an on-scene decision could have life-altering consequences. But that is what the progressive communist democrats want -- to bring about a breakdown of law and order that would serve as a precursor to a race war leading to a revolution.

Pray for Chauvin. As the democrats say, the process is punishment enough. Chauvin's attorney can file an appeal for a new trial with the Minnesota Court of Appeals after 90 days from the imposition of his sentence.

We are so screwed.

-- steve