Darnella Frazier
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Darnella Frazier (born March 23, 2003) is an American woman who recorded the
murder of George Floyd On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black American man, was murdered in Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old White police officer. Floyd had been arrested after a store clerk reported that he made a purchase using a c ...
on May 25, 2020, posting her video on
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and
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. The video undermined the initial account of Floyd's death by the
Minneapolis Police Department The Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) is the primary law enforcement agency in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It is also the largest police department in Minnesota. Formed in 1867, it is the second-oldest police department in Minnesota ...
, and served as evidence leading to criminal charges against four police officers. Frazier testified during the trial, which ended with the conviction of
Derek Chauvin Derek Michael Chauvin ( ; born 1976) is an American former police officer who Murder of George Floyd, murdered George Floyd, a 46-year-old African Americans, African American man, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. On May 25, 2020, Floyd was arrest ...
on murder charges, and the convictions of the other three officers on manslaughter. She received a special award and citation from the
Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...
board in 2021.


Early life

Darnella Frazier was born and raised in
Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, ...
, and attended Roosevelt High School in
Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
. She has several siblings. Described by her lawyer as a normal teenager "with a boyfriend and a job at the mall," Frazier was a high school junior at the time of Floyd's murder.


Video of George Floyd


Murder of George Floyd

On May 25, 2020, Frazier walked to the Cup Foods grocery store with her nine-year-old cousin, who wanted to buy snacks. Before they could enter the store, they saw the police restraining
George Floyd George Perry Floyd Jr. (October 14, 1973 – May 25, 2020) was an African-American man who was murdered by a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an arrest made after a store clerk suspected Floyd had used a counterfeit tw ...
on the pavement. Frazier sent her cousin into the store and then began filming the encounter with her phone. Twenty seconds after she started filming, Floyd said "I can't breathe", which was repeated by protesters worldwide on the days and weeks that followed. The video showed Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck until he died, and records Floyd's distressed comments, such as, "My stomach hurts. My neck hurts. Everything hurts. I need some water or something, please. Please," and "They're going to kill me, man," and then, "Don't kill me." He called out for his "Mama" and said, "I'm through". Her video lasted ten minutes and nine seconds, until Floyd's lifeless body was carried away on a stretcher.


George Floyd video and protests

At 1:46 a.m. on May 26, Frazier posted her video to Facebook and Instagram, adding the caption: "They killed him right in front of cup foods over south on 38th and Chicago!! No type of sympathy
Her video quickly went viral. When the Minneapolis Police Department issued a misleading statement about Floyd's murder called "Man Dies After Medical Incident During Police Interaction," Frazier responded at 3:10 a.m., saying "Medical incident??? Watch outtt they killed him and the proof is clearlyyyy there!!" In a statement released by her lawyer, Frazier said, "I opened my phone and I started recording because I knew if I didn't, no one would believe me". Frazier returned to the scene of the murder the following day, where she was seen crying and hugging protesters. She said, "I posted the video last night and it just went viral," and went on to say, "Everybody's asking me how do I feel? I don't know how to feel, 'cause it's so sad, bro. This man was literally right here at 8:00 pm yesterday. I was walking my cousin to the store, and I just see him on the ground and I'm like 'What is going on?'" She ended her remarks by saying, "It is so traumatizing." In the weeks that followed, Frazier's video helped spark large protests in hundreds of U.S. cities and in dozens of other countries. Although the majority of the protests were peaceful events, rioting and looting took place in some cities including Minneapolis. As many as 15 million to 25 million people may have participated in the protests. Daniel Q. Gillion, a professor at the
University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...
, called Frazier's video a "powerful catalyst" for the protests, adding "If you aren't moved by the George Floyd video, you have nothing in you".


Trial of Derek Chauvin

Frazier's video was among the most important pieces of evidence in Chauvin's murder trial. She testified and said "It's been nights I stayed up apologizing and apologizing to George Floyd for not doing more and not physically interacting and not saving his life". She also said that "When I look at George Floyd, I look at my dad, I look at my brothers, I look at my cousins, my uncles, because they're all Black," adding, "I have a Black father. I have a Black brother. I have Black friends," concluding, "I look at how that could have been one of them." When Chauvin was convicted, analysts agreed that her video and testimony were important to the outcome and had "helped shatter that narrative", referring to the misleading statements initially made by police officials. Frazier celebrated Chauvin's conviction on Facebook and Instagram, writing, "This last hour my heart was beating so fast, I was so anxious, anxiety bussing through the roof. But to know GUILTY ON ALL 3 CHARGES !!! THANK YOU GOD THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU," concluding with another statement "justice has been served".


First anniversary

On the first anniversary of Floyd's murder, Frazier issued an extended statement on Facebook and Instagram. She described the trauma of seeing Floyd's murder, and how her life and that of her cousin had changed. She criticized the racial profiling and
police brutality Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or Public order policing, a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, b ...
that too often victimize Black people. She discussed weeks of sleep problems and moving from hotel to hotel to avoid unwanted attention, and the anxiety she felt when she sees a police car. She thanked her mother for her support, and expressed pride that her video had helped bring justice in the Floyd murder case, while expressing regret that she had been powerless to save him. She concluded by speaking directly to Floyd: "I can't express enough how I wish things could have went different, but I want you to know you will always be in my heart. I'll always remember this day because of you. May your soul rest in peace. May you rest in the most beautiful roses."


Trial of J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao

In February 2022, Frazier was called to testify at the federal civil rights trial of the three other officers involved in Floyd's murder. Shortly after questioning began, Frazier became upset and was unable to continue, causing the judge to call a short recess. She completed her testimony after the recess.


Awards and acclaim

In December 2020, free speech advocacy group
PEN America PEN America (formerly PEN American Center), founded in 1922, and headquartered in New York City, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose goal is to raise awareness for the protection of free expression in the United States and worldwide th ...
presented Frazier with its Benenson Courage Award. Director
Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and author. His work has continually explored race relations, issues within the black community, the role of media in contemporary ...
gave the award in a virtual ceremony. The group's CEO
Suzanne Nossel Suzanne F. Nossel is a former government official, human rights advocate, author, and former CEO of PEN America. She has served in a variety of leadership roles in the corporate, non-profit, and government sectors and led PEN America from 2013 - ...
said "With nothing more than a cell phone and sheer guts, Darnella changed the course of history in this country, sparking a bold movement demanding an end to systemic anti-Black racism and violence at the hands of police," adding, "Without Darnella's presence of mind and readiness to risk her own safety and wellbeing, we may never have known the truth about George Floyd's murder." On December 31, 2020, ''
The Daily Dot ''The Daily Dot'' is a digital media company covering the culture of the Internet and the World Wide Web. It was founded by Nicholas White in 2011, and is headquartered in Austin, Texas. The site, conceived as the Internet's "hometown newsp ...
'' said, referring to the day of Floyd's murder, "On that day, Frazier became both a citizen journalist and an activist. She also became an American hero, and for that reason, she's the Daily Dot's Internet Person of the Year."
Tim Walz Timothy James Walz (; born April 6, 1964) is an American politician who has served since 2019 as the 41st governor of Minnesota. He was the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic nominee for Vice President of the United States, vice pre ...
, the governor of Minnesota, thanked Frazier, saying, "Taking that video, I think many folks know, is maybe the only reason that Derek Chauvin will go to prison".
Pete Souza Peter Joseph Souza (born December 31, 1954) is an American photojournalist, the former chief official White House photographer for Presidents of the United States Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama and the former director of the White House Photogr ...
, who served as White House photographer during the Obama administration, wrote that Frazier "demonstrated courage and perseverance in filming what she knew was wrong," adding that "This verdict does not happen without her," and "Thank you Darnella; you have changed our country forever."
Roy Peter Clark Roy Peter Clark (born 1948) is an American writer, editor, and a writing coach. He is also senior scholar and vice president of the Poynter Institute for Media Studies, a journalism think tank in St. Petersburg, Florida, and the founder of the ...
, who has served as a Pulitzer Prize juror four times, recommended Frazier for a Pulitzer Prize in May 2021. He wrote, "Darnella Frazier's work lives in that tradition. Her excruciating video had a social and ethical purpose, one that aligns with journalistic values: To give voice to the voiceless, to speak truth to power, to reveal secrets that the corrupt seek to hide, to stand strong in a moment of personal peril, and to document a fleeting reality that is fraught with meaning." On June 11, 2021, the
Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...
board issued Frazier a special award and citation, for, "courageously reporting the murder of George Floyd, a video that spurred protests against police brutality around the world, highlighting the crucial role of citizens in journalists' quest for truth and justice."


Personal life

Frazier's uncle, Leneal Frazier, was killed when a Minneapolis Police Department squad vehicle crashed into his vehicle during high-speed
car chase A car chase or vehicle pursuit is the vehicular overland chase of one party by another, involving at least one automobile or other wheeled motor vehicle, commonly hot pursuit of suspects by law enforcement. The rise of the automotive industry i ...
pursuit of a
carjacking Carjacking is a robbery in which a motor vehicle is taken over.Michael Cherbonneau, "Carjacking," in ''Encyclopedia of Social Problems'', Vol. 1 (SAGE, 2008: ed. Vincent N. Parrillo), pp. 110-11. In contrast to car theft, carjacking is usually i ...
suspect in the Camden area of Minneapolis on July 6, 2021, at 12:30 a.m. Leneal Frazier was uninvolved in the police pursuit.


See also

*
George Floyd protests in Minneapolis–Saint Paul Local protests over the Murder of George Floyd, murder of George Floyd, sometimes called the Minneapolis riots or the Minneapolis uprising, began on May 26, 2020, and within a few days had inspired a George Floyd protests, global protest moveme ...


References


External links


Darnella Frazier's video on Facebook2021 Pulitzer Prizes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frazier, Darnella 2003 births 21st-century African-American women African-American children African-American women journalists American child activists Citizen journalists Living people Murder of George Floyd People from Minneapolis Pulitzer Prize Special Citations and Awards winners