If you haven’t heard of Darnella Frazier then it’s time you did.
Current Events
Darnella Frazier was a 17-year-old high school student in Minneapolis when she happened to walk past a disturbance and saw police detaining a man on the street. The quick-thinking teen pulled out her cell phone and began recording what she saw, not realizing that she was capturing history.
What Darnella Frazier didn’t realize at the time is that she was capturing the murder of George Floyd and the last moments of his life. She filmed the entire ordeal and is credited with providing the unmistakable proof that convicted former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin of 3 counts of murder.
Now 18, Darnella Frazier is speaking out about the verdict and her role in securing the conviction.
“I just cried so hard,” Frazier said on Facebook. “I was so anxious … But to know GUILTY ON ALL 3 CHARGES !!! THANK YOU GOD THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. George Floyd we did it!! justice has been served.”
She also spoke of how difficult it was to maintain her composure and continue filming while watching a man die right before her very eyes.
“I heard George Floyd saying, ‘I can’t breathe, please, get off of me’ … and crying for his mom,” she testified in court. “He was in pain. It seemed like he knew it was over for him.”
However, despite the graphic nature of watching death in real-time and despite receiving death threats meant to intimidate her and prevent her from testifying against Chauvin, Darnella Frazier is being lauded as a heroine.
“The sad thing is if it hadn’t been for that 17-year-old girl Darnella, it would have been another black man that was killed by the police … and they would have said, ‘Oh, it was drugs, oh it was this,'” Floyd’s aunt Angela Harrellson said. “And we would never have had the story we would have. And wouldn’t be here today talking.”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz also publicly thanked Frazier.
“Taking that video, I think many folks know, is maybe the only reason that Derek Chauvin will go to prison,” he said.
“With nothing more than a cell phone and sheer guts, Darnella changed the course of history in this country, sparking a bold movement demanding an end to systemic anti-Black racism and violence at the hands of police,” said Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America. “Without Darnella’s presence of mind and readiness to risk her own safety and wellbeing, we may never have known the truth about George Floyd’s murder.”
Even Oprah Winfrey applauded Frazier for her bravery.
“I cried tears of joy when the verdict was read,” Winfrey tweeted. “I’m grateful to the witnesses and their testimonies. Grateful to Darnella Frazier. Grateful to every Juror for seeing and acknowledging what the world saw on that tape. Thank you, God, for real!”
#GeorgeFloyd pic.twitter.com/HKeNlthckW
— Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah) April 20, 2021
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Darnella Frazier. A true, American heroine.
Thanks for this DJ. I had hoped you would write something about that young lady, Ms. Frazier. And you did not disappoint. As you noted she was only 17 at the time. Just 17..!!!
There are no words to describe just how much I am in awe of her presence of mind and the Courage it took stand there a videotaped such a life-changing and perhaps even nation changing (if not World changing) tragedy as it all played out in broad daylight before her very eyes and the eyes of the world.
Honestly, it still brings tears to my eyes.