George Floyd: Ex-cops Thao, Keung and Lane’s bails set at $1M each raising concerns of racists crowdfunding it
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: On Thursday, June 4, when Tou Thao, Thomas Lane, and J Alexander Kueng made their first court appearance, a judge set bail at $750,000 apiece. Certain reports suggest that the bail was set at $1 million each, or $750,000 under certain conditions. The hearing at Hennepin County District Court took place at the same time as Floyd’s memorial. On Wednesday, June 3, the three other former-police officers present at the scene when George Floyd died, were taken into custody.
The three ex-officers were charged with aiding and abetting murder. In addition, charges were updated for Derek Chauvin, the ex-policeman who was captured on video holding Floyd down with his knee on Floyd’s neck. Chauvin has now been charged with second-degree murder in addition to the previous charge against him that was second-degree manslaughter.
Defense attorneys reportedly argued for a lower bail for the three men. Attorney Earl Gray, representing Lane, told the court that Chauvin was the senior officer on the scene and that when Floyd died it was only Lane’s fourth day on the job. It was also Kueng’s fourth day as an officer.
Gray further said that all Lane did was hold Floyd’s feet so he couldn’t kick. He also pointed out that the complaint said Lane asked Chauvin twice if they should roll Floyd over and expressed concern that he might be in delirium. The attorney added that Lane performed CPR in the ambulance. He said, “What was my client supposed to do but follow what his training officer said? Is that aiding and abetting a crime?” Per the Associated Press, Judge Paul Scoggin set their next court dates for June 29.
On social media, there was perceptible anger about the fact that the three accused were granted the opportunity to post bail. There were also fears that people could now start a bail fund for the three officers.
“Anyone who dares to start and/or support a donation of any kind for these thugs should immediately get canceled. Sucks that it's an actual possibility in today's world,” wrote one Twitter user. A few joked that the Ku Klux Klan would finance the bail amounts. “It'll be paid for within a day by racist gofundmes and the collected funds from all the bailouts of jailed protestors,” wrote another.
There were also those who pointed out racial bias when it came to setting bail. A 2018 study published in the Quarterly Journal of Economics found that black defendants were 2.4 percentage points more likely than white defendants to be detained while they awaited their court hearings. In the study, the researchers examined 162,836 court cases representing 93,914 defendants in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, from 2010 to 2014 as well as 93,417 cases from 65,944 defendants in Miami-Dade County, Florida, between 2006 and 2014.
A date for Chauvin’s first court appearance has not been set. Chauvin faces a maximum of 40 years in prison on the second-degree murder count, instead of a maximum of 25 years for third-degree murder. He also faces ten years for manslaughter. Under Minnesota law, aiding and abetting second-degree murder is tantamount to a second-degree murder charge. Thao, Lane and Kueng could then be facing the same potential penalties as Chauvin if convicted.