Klobuchar draws ire of social media for appearance at George Floyd’s memorial

By 
·June 4, 2020
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) pays respects at the casket of George Floyd before a memorial service at North Central University on June 4, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) pays respects at the casket of George Floyd before a memorial service at North Central University on June 4, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Democratic Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar’s presence at George Floyd‘s memorial service was not welcomed by those on social media.

Klobuchar has widely been seen as one of the women on the shortlist for presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s VP. It’s expected that he will choose a woman and several names have been speculated upon including former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams and California Senator Kamala Harris.

READ MORE: Sharpton eulogizes George Floyd, demands America ‘get your knee off our necks’

But her appearance at Floyd’s memorial in Minneapolis today wasn’t appreciated by observers online. They argued that the former Hennepin County prosecutor shouldn’t be there given her record on police brutality cases.

Klobuchar, who dropped out of the presidential race, was looking good for the VP nod until Floyd’s death in Minneapolis on Memorial Day. He died during an arrest while now-former police officer Derek Chauvin held his knee on his neck when he was prone and handcuffed in the street.

Video of the arrest drew worldwide outrage and has led to protests in all 50 states, some of which turned violent. All four officers involved have now been arrested and charged with crimes including murder and aiding and abetting.

Klobuchar’s record as Hennepin County prosecutor has come under fire after it was determined that she let over a dozen police officers evade prosecution in fatal shootings, during her tenure from 1999 – 2007, reports The Guardian.

In a 2006 shooting that involved Chauvin, Kloubachar, who had left the prosecutor’s office to run for Senate, was not involved in prosecuting the case. It went to the grand jury who declined to prosecute, but Klobuchar admits that allowing the cases to go to a grand jury wasn’t the best option.

Her appearance at Floyd’s memorial, one of several planned including in his hometown of Houston, Texas led to an angry response on social media regardless.

 

Needless to say, Klobuchar’s VP candidacy should be over, but she hasn’t conceded it and Biden hasn’t confirmed or denied that she’s even on his shortlist. Biden is expected to announce his pick later this summer.

READ MORE: Minneapolis police rendered 44 people unconscious with neck restraints since 2015

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