MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Former Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo vividly recalls receiving a midnight call from a community activist, urging him to watch a disturbing video circulating on social media. The footage showed a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeling on the neck of a Black man, George Floyd, as he pleaded, “I can’t breathe.” At that moment, Arradondo, the city's first Black police chief, knew this incident would necessitate profound changes within his department.
Arradondo described the situation as "absolutely gut-wrenching" during an interview conducted ahead of the fifth anniversary of Floyd's murder on May 25, 2020. He acknowledged that, while he understood it would lead to changes, he did not anticipate the worldwide ripple effects Floyd's death would cause. Reflecting on his 32 years of service, Arradondo said, “There’s no doubt May 25th, 2020, is a defining moment for me in my public service career.”
The video shows Chauvin applying pressure to Floyd's neck for nine and a half minutes, despite bystanders urging him to stop and even an off-duty firefighter attempting to intervene. The confrontation occurred outside a convenience store where Floyd had allegedly tried to use a counterfeit $20 bill.
Arradondo conducted the interview in a public library heavily damaged during the unrest that followed Floyd's death. Located on Lake Street, which suffered significant destruction, he noted that this area still bears "remnants of the pain and anger of what occurred five years ago." Nearby, the charred remains of the Third Precinct police station serve as a grim reminder, and many storefronts remain boarded up, illustrating the impact of the turmoil.
Despite the devastation, Arradondo stands by the decision he and Mayor Jacob Frey made to abandon the Third Precinct when it was breached by protesters. Given the chaotic circumstances, he ordered his officers to evacuate for safety's sake. He stated, “During the most significant crisis we’ve ever experienced, I’ve got to go on the side of keeping people alive and safe.”
In response to the incident, Arradondo took pivotal steps to revamp the police culture in the city, launching an overhaul despite facing resistance from within the department and a formidable officers union. During Chauvin's murder trial in 2021, he made the rare decision to testify against him, defying the traditional "blue wall" that often shields officers from accountability.
Five years after Floyd's murder, Arradondo, who retired in 2022, believes there has been incremental progress in police accountability across law enforcement agencies nationwide. He noted that police chiefs and sheriffs are now more prompt to hold officers accountable for significant misconduct.
Arradondo was promoted to chief in 2017, instilling a sense of hope in the local African American community. However, his department had a history of using excessive force, leaving many residents angry, especially regarding the killings of young Black men. Reflecting on the past, Arradondo expressed a desire that he had enacted reforms sooner to dismantle the toxic culture within the police force. He remarked, “I certainly would have invested more time elevating the voices in our community that had been pleading with police departments for decades to listen to us and change.”
In an effort to bring closure and understanding, Arradondo recently published a book titled "Chief Rondo: Securing Justice for the Murder of George Floyd," in which he addresses leadership, justice, and race. The book concludes with a letter dedicated to Floyd's daughter, Gianna, apologizing for her father's death and expressing his commitment to seeking justice. He stated, “I’m sorry for your father being taken from you.”
