Talk:George Floyd

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Frequently asked questions

Q1: Does it have to say "white" police officer?

A1: Yes, because almost all reliable sources emphasize the significance of this fact.

Q2: I read some information on the web that isn't in this article!

A2: When proposing anything to be added to the article you need to cite a reliable source; secondary sources are generally preferred over primary.

Q3: This article is biased (for/against), or (whitewashes/blames), (Floyd/police)!

A3: See our neutral point of view policy. Complaints of bias must be accompanied by specific concerns or suggestions for change. Vague, general statements don't help.

Q4: Why is this article calling it a murder instead of a death/killing?

A4: As a person was formally convicted for murder in a court of law, the article uses the term "murder", in line with the community guidance at WP:MURDERS.

Q5: Wasn't Floyd killed near a store called Cub Foods, not Cup Foods?

A5: The store is Cup Foods, and is not affiliated with the Cub Foods store chain.

Q6: Why does the article use such a graphic photo? Isn't it in poor taste?

A6: The lead image was determined by the community in a formal Request for Comment process. The RfC reached an "overwhelming consensus" that "...the image, despite it being traumatizing, should be kept per WP:NOTCENSORED, as it is an appropriate representation of the topic."

Q7: Why was my request or comment removed?

A7: Because of the frequency of meritless and disruptive requests, any further requests to describe Floyd's murder using other terms (e.g. "death", "overdose") or to change the name of the article accordingly will be removed without consideration, unless the request complies with all relevant Wikipedia guidelines and essays, including WP:Requested moves, WP:Common name, WP:Article titles, WP:Naming conventions (violence and deaths), and WP:Reliable sources. Anyone removing such requests should include a link to this FAQ in their edit summary.

Q8: Why do we not call the protests riots?

A8: Because most reliable sources call them protests, not riots.

Q9: Did he not die of a drug overdose?

A9: No, while fentanyl was a contributory factor, his death certificate lists his cause of death as "cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression".

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This article is written in American English, which has its own spelling conventions (color, defense, traveled) and some terms that are used in it may be different or absent from other varieties of English. According to the relevant style guide, this should not be changed without broad consensus.

This article was nominated for deletion on 31 May 2020. The result of the discussion was redirect to Death of George Floyd.

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Harrison, Stephen (June 9, 2020). "How Wikipedia Became a Battleground for Racial Justice". Slate.

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A fact from this article was featured on Wikipedia's Main Page in the On this day section on May 25, 2025.

Possible bias in wording or omission of context for the term "homicide"

This has been answered over and over again per the FAQ. As a person was formally convicted for murder in a court of law, the article uses the term "murder", in line with the community guidance at WP:MURDERS. Turtletennisfogwheat (talk) 15:57, 10 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

The "Murder" part of the article reads "[t]he medical examiner found that Floyd's heart stopped while he was being restrained and that his death was a homicide." The county medical examiner that performed the first autopsy specifically stated in his testimony that "homicide" in the medical sense differs from the legal definition of the word. [1]

Without this context, readers unfamiliar with the distinction might misinterpret the term. I suggest adding a brief clarification, such as: "The medical examiner classified Floyd’s death as a homicide, noting in testimony that this medical term refers to a death involving another’s actions, distinct from the legal definition."

Separately, there is some more information included in the ME's testimony which may raise doubts about the way this Wikipedia article presents the event, or which may provide additional information for readers to create a fuller and more unbiased view of the event. The medical examiner stated that, in his opinion (as a forensic pathologist), Chauvin's knee placement would not have cut off Floyd's airway [2]. The medical examiner also states that "it did not appear to [him] on the video that [Chauvin's] knee would have been able to occlude the carotid artery." Before this statement, he clarifies that he is not an expert in watching videos. However, he further states that "even if it were [occluded], normal people have two carotid arteries, and the unoccluded carotid artery would continue to supply blood to the brain." [3] 19ZXA (talk) 15:08, 30 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Yes! Very biased. 2603:6011:9102:4B0F:5C86:71B2:470C:664C (talk) 16:14, 4 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Thought it did mentioned all accurate details. 👍🏼 2603:6011:9102:4B0F:5C86:71B2:470C:664C (talk) 16:16, 4 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Youtube is not a reliable source. Slatersteven (talk) 16:55, 4 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

This is the video of the court testimony of the county medical examiner that performed his autopsy.

It's about the most reliable source you can get regarding this. 19ZXA (talk) 19:59, 14 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Only if it is unedited. Also it does not establish that this is in fact, relevant, only that they said it. Slatersteven (talk) 20:00, 14 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

It is unedited. And it is relevant because the article directly references his testimony. This testimony that I've linked. 19ZXA (talk) 01:00, 19 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

But if we already mentioned his testimony, what does this add to what we already say? Slatersteven (talk) 11:36, 19 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

As I stated in the original post on this thread, the Medical Examiner used the term "homicide" in a very specific, strictly medical sense. The Wikipedia article mentions this use of the word "homicide" without the appropriate context that is required to interpret it, misleading readers.

Only when looking at the Wikipedia article for the word homicide does this become clear, but not even that article differentiates between the legal term and the medical term. Most people's understanding of the word homicide is that it is simply a synonym for murder.

If you say "the Medical Examiner found that his death was a homicide," people are going to interpret that as the Medical Examiner having the authority to determine whether or not something was legally a homicide when he doesn't, and this is such an important piece of information that he mentioned it in his testimony when he was asked about his report. 19ZXA (talk) 12:38, 5 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

No they are going to assume he had the medical expertise to determine if it was "medically" homicide. The courts judge legal issues. Slatersteven (talk) 12:44, 5 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

But an average person would not know that a medical examiner uses a medical term for homicide, distinct from the legal term, as they don't have any experience in law enforcement or pathology. This is why the Medical Examiner explicitly mentioned that it differs from the legal term, as the jury could otherwise misinterpret it. 19ZXA (talk) 12:48, 5 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Breathtakingly biased 98.204.205.173 (talk) 18:20, 11 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The average person knows they are giving evidence in a trial to a judge, Slatersteven (talk) 12:52, 5 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

How? Slatersteven (talk) 18:23, 11 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

They think "biased" means "something I disagree with". Sumanuil. _{(talk to me)} 01:53, 15 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Biased, in this context, means presenting only one side of the story, especially if it occludes important facts of the full testimony needed for a full picture of the situation, rather than selecting information that steers people to one side of the discussion. 19ZXA (talk) 12:46, 5 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia tends to go by independent, secondary sources. We rely on books, newspapers, magazines, journals, etc. to read through court transcripts, talk to the police, interview experts/witnesses, etc. and take all of that into consideration when they present a synthesis of the facts. We generally do not get into citing court transcripts, medical records, and other such documents ourselves, being a tertiary source. This does mean that anyone who views newspapers, journals, et al. as biased or incomplete in their presentation of the facts will in turn see Wikipedia as biased or incomplete, because we are only a summary of those. If you have a secondary source which could be used to add more nuance to the article, that would be helpful. — Rhododendrites ^talk \\ 13:42, 5 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

This is my understanding as well. I don't view it as a productive use of editor time to dive deeply into interpretation of primary/court sources as a way of contradicting or caveating reliable secondary ones. I definitely don't view it as a good use of my own editing time to engage in argument over those interpretations, though I do see flaws in them. Let's restart this if better sourcing pops up. Firefangledfeathers (talk / contribs) 13:55, 5 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Empty "notes" section

I just noticed that this article has a completely empty "notes" section - is there a good reason for this? I was going to remove it, but I thought I should ask here first to be sure. Aŭstriano (talk) 13:28, 25 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Semi-protected edit request on 25 May 2025

This edit request has been answered. Set the |answered= parameter to no to reactivate your request.

George Floyd died of a drug overdose. Thank you for your attention to this matter! 2600:1014:B081:1CAE:0:C:D10D:6D01 (talk) 14:30, 25 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

See FAQ. Slatersteven (talk) 14:31, 25 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Misinformation

Wikipedia is posting faksebinformation. Official cause of death for George Floydwas Drug overdose. 47.197.214.120 (talk) 13:16, 28 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

See FAQ. Slatersteven (talk) 13:41, 28 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]