Darnella Frazier
The George Floyd trial is beginning here in Minneapolis and it may be more on my mind than I was aware. I live about five miles south of the site of the trial and therefore, most of the protests around it. A few minutes ago I heard a police siren going for longer than just passing by time. Over and over again and it sounded like it was going south. I noticed, I wondered if something was happening – the settlement between the city and George Floyd’s family was just announced – $27 million. It’s a record setting amount but it seems venal to approve of any amount in exchange for a man’s life. The family hasn’t commented as I type but Ben Crump, their lawyer is talking now.
Note that all demonstrations so far have been peaceful. I have no real reason to be worried. Not that much happened in my neighborhood in the June demonstrations, the local Walgreens was trashed and a gas station burned down.
I went to the local paper while checking out news sources for what might be happening and saw an article about the young woman who took the video of the murder.
https://www.startribune.com/for-first-time-minneapolis-teen-opens-up-about-her-viral-george-floyd-arrest-video/600033586/
She’s been mentioned here before and I thought an update might be of interest.
As it turns out, Ms. Frazier has not been in the news, has not received media attention by her own choice-“The high school senior has turned down all news media requests for an interview, ” – and she has finally spoken on facebook. (I don’t want to link to it because it’s her facebook account and a bunch of linking seems intrusive. There is a link in the article if you really want it.)
She sounds like a remarkable young woman, intelligent and articulate for her age. Maybe even a little poetic: “I can’t go to sleep in silence, my mind will eat me alive,” she posted on Facebook at 4:17 a.m. Tuesday.
I’m not going to summarize her comments, the article is short, you can read it.
I checked on her GoFundMe – it’s healthy. Darnella Frazier will surely have her choice of colleges. As she should.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/peace-and-healing-for-darnella?qid=2248450011ed5d49c268168f0a6e7e94
03/12/2021 @ 4:15 pm
This is a help note. When you want to insert a link in an article, write a word or two that defines the link, highlight those words then click on the link button (it’s the first button on the left on the BOTTOM ROW of the menu bar.) When you click on the link button a dialogue box will open up with a space to insert the address of the link, Simply copy and paste the hyperlink to the resource you want to reference and click on the blue button to save the link.
03/12/2021 @ 5:30 pm
I knew that, Alan. It’s just that kind of day that’s just one brain fart after another. Thanks for the tips, though.
03/13/2021 @ 12:42 am
“….my mind will eat me alive.” I don’t doubt it after what she witnessed.
03/14/2021 @ 11:59 am
John Filo, a student, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his iconic photograph of Mary Ann Vecchio kneeling over the body of Jeffrey Miller minutes after the unarmed student was fatally shot by an Ohio National Guardsman during the anti-war protest a Kent State University on May 14, 1970.
Despite her shying away from media attention,
for her bravery, heroism, and presence of mind in shooting the now definitive and iconic video of the George Floyd public execution, Darnella Frazier deserves nothing less…
Sadly, I doubt that she will ever be accorded the recognition she has earned…
The media establishment that is so willing to cast the spotlight of sensationalism on Ms Frazier hasn’t sought to even nominate her for one of its most prestigious accolades….
03/14/2021 @ 4:02 pm
It’s also the difference between an iconic still image and a video. You can’t put a video on a magazine cover. That isn’t to say she won’t be nominated – her video has already had a significant effect on American history.
03/14/2021 @ 4:34 pm
That’s about as lame an excuse as there is for not acknowledging and recognizing the video for what it is and what it has done to the perceptions of white people re police brutality and misconduct.
Kosh,; Virtually every still shot of the murder of George Floyd that has been published was taken from MS Frazier’s video.
03/14/2021 @ 5:36 pm
Do we know if she’s in the round of nominations?
What’s the Pulitzer category?
03/14/2021 @ 6:05 pm
Kosh: Winners and Nominated Finalists will be announced on April 19, 2021. Nominated finalists are not announced in advance.
Ron, do you think maybe she didn’t want to? “The high school senior has turned down all news media requests for an interview” Maybe it was ok to respect her privacy? Maybe she wasn’t seeking recognition.
Meanwhile her gofundme is $530,094. She’s going to go far whether or not we ever hear of her again.
03/15/2021 @ 12:38 am
“Maybe she wasn’t seeking recognition.”
“Meanwhile her gofundme is $530,094.”
How do you raise a half a million and remain anonymous and obscure?
Pulitzer Categories
Journalism:
CURRENT CATEGORIES
Public Service (1917-present)
Breaking News Reporting (1998-present)
Investigative Reporting (1985-present)
Explanatory Reporting (1998-present)
Local Reporting (1948-1952, 2007-present)
National Reporting (1948-present)
International Reporting (1948-present)
Feature Writing (1979-present)
Commentary (1973-present)
Criticism (1973-present)
Editorial Writing (1917-present)
Editorial Cartooning (1922-present)
Breaking News Photography (2000-present)
Feature Photography (1968-present)
Audio Reporting (2020-present)
In case she doesn’t meet the criteria for the list above, there’s also a category for “Special Citations”
“There are 21 Pulitzer categories. In 20 of those categories the winners receive a $15,000 cash award and a certificate. Only the winner in the Public Service category of the Journalism competition is awarded a gold medal.”
Jonna, perhaps you’re right. According to this, she’s doing way better than the paltry 15 grand the Pulitzer provides….
I’d be tempted to trade the Pulitzer gold medal for half a million myself.
03/15/2021 @ 9:21 am
How do you raise a half a million and remain anonymous and obscure?
“Mica Cole Kamenski and Angela Shelby are organizing this fundraiser on behalf of LaTangie Gillespie.”
03/17/2021 @ 11:23 am
in·ef·face·a·ble
🔄