- Minnesota GOP honored convicted murderer Derek Chauvin, leaving George Floyd’s family stunned
- Tribute seen as normalizing disrespect and racism toward Floyd’s death
- Moment of silence for convicted criminals, not victims, is highly unusual and criticized
The latest chapter in America’s seemingly endless culture-war spiral was written this weekend when the Minnesota Republican Party held a brief moment of silence for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.
Yes,the man convicted of murdering George Floyd. Yes, that Derek Chauvin. Yes, the one serving prison time after a jury found him guilty in Floyd’s 2020 killing.
According to TMZ, George Floyd’s family was stunned by the tribute, describing the gesture as “insane” and struggling to understand why anyone would choose to honor Chauvin nearly six years after Floyd’s death. Sadly, the reason they would do such a thing is to invigorate the part of their voter base that hates Black people and is more than happy to see us dead. Travis Cains, a spokesperson for The Gianna and George Floyd Foundation, said the family viewed the moment of silence as part of a broader trend of people becoming more comfortable making light of Floyd’s death.
“To put a guy on the pedestal and hold a moment of silence for him is insane. The whole world knows that the public lynching of George Floyd was tragic.”
The family specifically pointed to the recent controversy surrounding comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s George Floyd joke during Kevin Hart’s roast, arguing that the backlash—or lack thereof—helped normalize behavior they see as disrespectful and racist. In their view, the joke opened the door for increasingly public displays of support for Chauvin.
The original tribute took place during the Minnesota GOP’s state convention in Duluth, where attendees reportedly stood for roughly 10 seconds of silence after a delegate requested recognition for Chauvin. The move immediately sparked criticism from political leaders, including Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who prosecuted Chauvin. Ellison called the gesture “an act of profound cruelty” toward Floyd’s family and said honoring a man convicted of murder dishonors both Floyd’s memory and law enforcement officers who serve honorably.
And that’s the part that leaves many observers scratching their heads. Moments of silence are typically reserved for victims, heroes, or people whose lives are being commemorated, not for someone who is infamous is being convicted in one of the most closely watched murder cases in modern American history.
For Floyd’s family, that reality is as infuriating as it is painful. Modern politics is a disgusting wasteland of hate and millions of Americans are more than enthusiastic to support and uplift it.
