- Details
- By Levi Rickert
There is always a story behind every photograph.
Yesterday I began seeing a photograph out of Minneapolis that continued to show up many times during the day on my Facebook timeline. Since I was working on other things, I will confess I did not pay close attention at first. When I finally did, I saw a white police officer with his knee on the neck of an African American man. As I focused in on the grimace on the man’s face, I froze.
I began to read the story behind the photograph.
The photograph captures George Floyd, 46, on the pavement as veteran Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, has his knee firmly pressed on Floyd’s neck, leaving him deprived of air to breathe. News accounts reported that Floyd repeatedly told Chauvin he could not breathe. We learned Floyd was already arrested for forgery because he allegedly attempted to pay for something at a nearby retail shop with a counterfeit $20 bill. He was handcuffed and thrown to the pavement. In all, there were four officers in proximity to Floyd. The other three officers did nothing to stop Chauvin as he pressed the life out of Floyd. He lost consciousness and was pronounced dead at a local Minneapolis hospital.
In essence, Floyd received the death penalty for a petty crime.
Levi Rickert
This photograph has quickly become indelible in my mind. When I look at it, I find myself comparing it to the photograph of the lynching of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old teen from Chicago who was murdered while visiting Mississippi by an angry Southern mob.
Fast forward 65 years and now you have another enduring image of a white man suffocating an African American victim, this time using a knee instead of a rope.
Today, as I reflected on the Minneapolis Police Department, I remembered Minneapolis was the birthplace of the American Indian Movement in 1968. Its founders were fed up with the large number of urban American Indians being rounded up each weekend, beaten and then hauled off to jail in paddy wagons.
In research funded by the Center for Indian Country Development at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis and St. Catherine University entitled, “Police Stops and Searches of Indigenous People in Minneapolis: The Roles of Race, Place, and Gender,” the authors write:
“In the United States, Native Americans have the highest prevalence of fatal encounters with law enforcement of any racial or ethnic group. Yet these encounters are rarely covered in the media – for each fatal police shooting of a Native American there is an average of less than one media story."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), American Indians, on a per capita basis, are more likely to die at the hands of law enforcement than any other racial or ethnic group in the United States.
Minn. Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan
Today, Lt. Governor Peggy Flannagan, who is a dual citizen of the White Earth Nation of Ojibwe, during a COVID-19 update, offered her opinion on the tragic death of Floyd. She said Minnesota is grieving over the tragedy and expressed her outrage.
“One thing is clear to me, the complete lack of humanity in the video of George’s death is horrifying to me. We will get answers and we will seek justice. It goes without saying that no one should be treated differently by law enforcement due to the color of their skin and no one should live in fear of law enforcement because of the color of their skin” Flannagan said.
She talked about the systemic racism that allowed Floyd’s death to happen and shared a dream for a transformation as we move from the pandemic.
“Someday when it is safe, we will all have the option to go back to normal, though we cannot let that happen. Normal—quote, unquote—means that black and brown bodies are not safe. Normal was not working for us. We must not get back to normal, we must get back to better,” she said.
I love the concept of Flannagan’s dream - striving not to get back to normal, but to get back to BETTER. I hope it becomes our reality and we never have to see another unnecessary death of a black or brown person on the streets of our cities again. We cannot go back to normal; we must get back to BETTER.
Levi Rickert (Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation) is publisher and editor of Native News Online.
More Stories Like This
Native News Weekly (August 25, 2024): D.C. BriefsUS Presidents in Their Own Words Concerning American Indians
Native News Weekly (August 4, 2024): D.C. Briefs
Seattle Seahawks Tackle Preservation Projects at Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center for Annual Day of Service
Native News Weekly (June 15, 2025): D.C. Briefs
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher
