Floyd family attorney Ben Crump says lack of criminal charges is "like they're killing George all over again"
Editor's note: Friday afternoon, after this interview aired, former police officer Derek Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter in George Floyd's death.
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George Floyd's family attorney Ben Crump told "CBS This Morning" co-host Gayle King Friday that he and the family will call on Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison to take up Floyd's case after District Attorney Michael Freeman failed to announce charges for the four officers involved in Floyd's death, citing a need for more evidence. Crump, a renowned civil rights advocate who has represented the families of slain black men Michael Brown and Trayvon Martin, said every day that goes by and the officers are not charged is like "killing George all over again."
The arrest that led to Floyd's death was captured in a disturbing video that has outraged millions, where a white police officer pressed his knee into Floyd's neck for eight minutes, seemingly ignoring bystanders and Floyd's own pleas for him to stop.
His desperate cry for help, "I can't breathe," echoes the death of Eric Garner, a black man who also died at the hands of police, and has been a rallying cry for increasingly violent protests this week.
Read their conversation below:
Gayle King: Ben Crump, we thank you for joining us. Unfortunately, this is becoming an all-too-familiar story for you. Five days ago we didn't even know George Floyd's name. Now many are heartbroken, angry, frustrated about what has happened. What is your message — what is the family's conversation about what has happened to George Floyd, and what they want to see happen now?
Ben Crump: Gayle, it is all too familiar. And tragically this family, yet another black family, is in turmoil and just heartbroken after witnessing with their very eyes a young man who they have known all their life, his brothers and sisters talk about when they were little children, they're reflecting now knowing that George is gone. And the fact that the district attorney yesterday came out and made the report that there's not enough evidence, probable cause to make an arrest today, that they have to continue to investigate was an insult on top of injury. The fact that you see on the video, Gayle, the police have their knee on the neck — on his neck — not for one minute, not for two minutes, not for three minutes, not for four minutes, not for five minutes, not for six minutes, not for seven minutes, but over eight minutes. And that's what we cannot unsee, and that's why his family's in pain. That's why the protesters are in pain.
King: But Ben, Benjamin Crump, in addition, there's new video, released overnight, where you see two other police officers — we've seen the horrific, heartbreaking video of Officer [Derek] Chauvin's knee on [Floyd's] neck. But in the other video from the other angle, you see two other officers holding down his legs. So as an official, what more have you been told that investigators need to see to bring charges in this case? What are you hearing?
Crump: Gayle, when we talked directly to the district attorney's office, they said that they're trying to dot every I and cross every T. They said they want to talk to all the witnesses. And to us who lived through Eric Garner, you say, no, this delay seems like it's suggesting that you're going to try to sweep his death under the rug because that's what you did in Eric Garner when he said "I can't breathe." Now George Floyd said "I can't breathe," and you all are telling us again you have to investigate this grand jury stuff.
We're not going to allow that to happen. The witnesses are always important, but we have video. And if their stories contradict the video, then we take the video. That is the probable cause to arrest him now. And Gayle King, please understand this: we want witnesses to come forward. The family wants witnesses to come forward. Just like the family is praying for peace, the family wants protesters to be peaceful.
However, the people who are in charge need to have a desire and want for justice, too. And that starts with simply making an arrest because you can continue your investigation, but every day these officers are not arrested is like another day of injustice to this family, it's like they're killing George all over again. None of us can breathe.
King: I had a very interesting conversation with a young 20-something black woman, highly educated, a very, very intelligent person who said to me — I was saying, "Look, the looting is going to dilute the message. The looting is not a good idea. It will overshadow what is happening to George Floyd."
And she said to me, "Gayle, that was back in your day, your generation, you're older. Marching peacefully, holding hands and singing "We shall overcome," nobody pays attention to that. This is the only way that we can get people's attention." Does she have a point? I just so disagree with this thinking.
Crump: Well, Gayle, I will tell you as Dr. King said, protesting and rioting is the language of the unheard. And in many ways, the protests, the first protests started while George Floyd was still alive. When you have a young lady who purported to be an EMT asked the police 16 times, "Can I just take his pulse, you all are killing him," people saying, "Take your knee off his neck," "That was a form of protest — peaceful protest. Now, I do believe people the majority of people protesting are trying to do it peacefully and have their voices heard.
There are some instigators out there that nobody wants. George Floyd's family doesn't want anybody to be hurt. They want peace. They're making a plea to people for peace and to stop looting. However, they're also making a plea, Gayle, to the powers that be. Arrest these murderers, do your job. That is another way to get peace because peace is more than just the absence of tension, it is the presence of justice. Where is the justice for George Floyd? Where is the justice for black America? All these unarmed black men, especially these open-season killings, and nobody being held accountable.
King: Ben, you know, there's a tape circulating online about George Floyd. His language is a little salty, but let's not miss his point. He is encouraging young people to put down guns and do the right thing. He seemed to be an advocate for peace. I know the family is asking for an independent autopsy. What are they looking for, briefly, can you tell me? What do they want, what are they looking for?
Crump: Yes, ma'am. We're taking possession of the body [Friday], and we're going to have Dr. Michael Bonnen do an independent autopsy because they do not trust law enforcement. Would you, after four days what you see on the video, nothing has happened? So we're going to have an independent autopsy. Also we're going to make the plea for Keith Ellison, the Minnesota attorney general, to take over this investigation based on what we heard yesterday.
King: All right. We talked to Keith Ellison earlier today. Thank you very much, Ben Crump. I know this won't be our last conversation. Thank you, sir, for your time.
