Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged with killing George Floyd, was released after posting a $1 million bond earlier this week, and he will be granted special privileges as a result of his connection with law enforcement.
Inmates are typically not allowed to leave the state that they are facing charges in. However, a Minnesota judge is allowing Chauvin to live in a neighboring state while he awaits trial, citing “safety concerns” and referencing the ongoing protests that are focused on the case.
However, killer cops receiving this type of preferential treatment from the legal system is exactly why people are protesting in the first place.
As expected, Chauvin’s release has sparked new protests in Minneapolis, leading St. Paul. Gov. Tim Walz to mobilize National Guard troops and state law enforcement officers to quell the demonstrations.
According to the Star Tribune, Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill said that the state Department of Corrections, which is supervising Chauvin while he’s on release, presented evidence in private “supporting safety concerns that have arisen.”
However, this evidence was not shared with the public, nor were any details of its nature.
Initially, the terms of Chauvin’s release were fairly standard, and included a requirement for him to stay in the state of Minnesota unless he had court permission to leave, but now the requirements have been relaxed, giving him a level of freedom that most people charged with far less serious offenses could never even dream of.
It is unclear how Chauvin was able to raise the bail money for his release, considering his recent legal and financial problems, and the trouble that he has had raising funds online.
When dealing with a bail company, the person posting bond is only required to pay 10% of the full amount, which in this case would be $100,000. He would also need to put his assets up for collateral, like his house or cars.
At first many activists believed that his bond was paid by The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, which has a legal defense fund for disgraced police officers, but a spokeswoman for the organization says that they did not provide any money for the case.
It is still possible that his police union picked up the tab.
Initially, after the incident hit the news, police supporters attempted to raise money through the popular fundraising site GoFundMe, but the page was quickly taken down.
He then turned to GiveSendGo.com, a free Christian crowdfunding site, but it has only raised $4,198 of its $125,000 goal, with donations from more than 35 people.
Since his arrest, Chauvin was charged with multiple counts of felony tax evasion for failing to report income from various side jobs including close to 100,000 from his off-duty security jobs.
Chauvin and his now-ex-wife are accused of underreporting their joint income by $464,433 between 2014 and 2019, and they currently owe the state $37,868 in unpaid taxes, interest, and fees. Kellie Chauvin, a former Mrs. Minnesota winner, filed for divorce on the same day that her husband was charged with murder.
I do not understand how these things can happen within society. Of course, the incongruity between Law, Morals, and Ethics, in an environment of relativism, explains this nonsense.