As the defense makes its case at former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin's trial for the death of George Floyd, what troubles me most from the shocking video footage is Chauvin’s apparent nonchalance — his calm facial expression, his hand in his pocket, his irreverence toward Floyd’s pleas and onlookers crying out for him to stop. To me and so many others, the discordance between Chauvin’s casual demeanor and his deadly chokehold reflect the dehumanization of Black people in America.
This dehumanization has taken on a new form during the trial — this time, in the form of devaluing people who use substances. As an addiction doctor, I want to put George Floyd’s drug use in context and be clear about how this part of his story is being harmfully exploited.
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