George Floyd deja vu: Brazil cop puts Black woman in chokehold by stepping on her neck in disturbing video
Disturbing footage broadcast on television in Brazil showed a police officer stepping on the neck of a Black woman, a grandmother, reminiscent of the George Floyd killing in Minneapolis. The incident reportedly occurred in May and the two military officers involved, who have not been named, are now facing criminal charges in Sao Paulo. Floyd, an unarmed Black man, died in police custody after a Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeled on his neck for more than seven minutes while Floyd pleaded with him to let him breathe. Floyd's killing sparked worldwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism.
Reports state that in the Sao Paulo incident, a 51-year-old woman, described as a mother-of-five and a bar owner, was dragged to the ground by police officers after being handcuffed. The video of the incident was broadcast on television by Globo TV. The video shows one of the officers pointing his gun at two men who appear to be trying to show him that they are not armed. One of the men even can be seen turning around and taking his shit off to prove that he does not have a weapon. The clip later cuts to an image where the officers are holding a woman face down in a road as one of the cops places his foot on her neck. The clip also shows a man being handcuffed on the ground by the two policemen.
The two officers involved have since alleged that they had been attacked with an iron rod and that they were defending themselves. The victim, however, has denied their claims. It is not yet clear whether the grandmother-of-two sustained any injuries during the incident. Meanwhile, State Governor João Doria called for both the police officers to be fired, stating that such abuse on citizens would not be tolerated.
A Brazilian cop seen standing on a black woman's neck, gets suspended along with one more cop. On May 30
— News Leak Centre (@CentreLeak) July 14, 2020
a cop aims his gun at a man, who was seen taking off his t-shirt. The woman said she was attempting to play peacemaker between the police and her friend.#brazil #cops #viral pic.twitter.com/Nfk1pcbWZT
The governor said all 2,000 police officers in the city would not be forced to wear body cameras while they patrol the streets. The incident has sparked outrage with many in Brazil have compared the incident to Floyd's arrest in Minneapolis on May 25, which led to his death. The four Minneapolis police officers involved in Floyd's brutal death were fired on May 26 after a video of the incident went viral on social media.
The footage showed Floyd pleading with officers as one of them, Derek Chauvin, knelt on his neck as the 46-year-old told them to let him stand because he could not breathe. The clip showed Floyd pleading with the officer to allow him to breathe and a few minutes later he became unconscious. Chauvin's arrest came on the fourth day of widespread protests and unrest in the region as more demonstrations broke out nationwide. Eventually, all four police officers involved in the incident were arrested.
Tou Thao, one of the Minneapolis police officers charged in Floyd's death, was released from jail earlier this month. The former cop was released on July 4 morning on a conditional bond. His bail was set at $1million without conditions and $750,000 with conditions. Thao is the third officer released on bail of the four arrested in the death of Floyd, an unarmed Black man. Chauvin, however, remains in prison.