Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison was the lead prosecutor in the state’s case against former police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd. Ellison joins Washington Post associate editor Jonathan Capehart to share his new book, “Break the Wheel: Ending the Cycle of Police Violence” and his perspective on the country’s ongoing racial reckoning.
Keith Ellison joins Washington Post Live on Wednesday, May 24. (Video: The Washington Post)
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Highlights
“It goes to show that Bayard Rustin was an enormously influential, brilliant strategist. And he understood that there was a cycle of injustice that was rolling throughout the centuries in our country. And it had to do with Jim Crow segregation, but it also had to do with police brutality … This is not a new problem. This problem has been going on for a long time. So, Bayard Rustin says ‘We’ve got to stop this wheel from turning.’ Because we’ve got the benefit of learning from Bayard Rustin, I say let’s break the wheel with injustice and start with some new wheels.” - Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (Video: Washington Post Live)
“Trust is indispensable … The most important law enforcement tool is trust in the community. You break that and you set yourself back. And you've made life easier for people who do commit crimes. Private citizens who commit crimes and prey on others -- they benefit from a poor relationship between police and community.” - Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (Video: Washington Post Live)
“We have to make sure that there is accountability. Or we have to eliminate impunity. We can’t have a situation where some people are living above the law … and others are living beneath the law … Congress has just not done its part. Congress has to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. It's not that complicated. The proposals are reasonable and fair and we've simply got to pass it." - Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (Video: Washington Post Live)
“You can’t control your outcome, but you can control how you manage the problem if you are a public official … If over time you can find that prosecutor offices, mayors and police chiefs can be counted on to act swiftly in a heinous case of police violence, then you will begin to solve the problem.” - Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (Video: Washington Post Live)
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison
Author, “Break the Wheel”