ORLANDO, Fla. – Testimony continued Wednesday for the man accused of killing George Floyd.
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin sat quietly in court as the state called more witnesses to testify, including the man who sold Floyd cigarettes shortly before he was killed.
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In Central Florida, local barbers have been watching the trial gavel to gavel and they’re weighing in, too.
“It has nothing to do with color, it has something to do with treating a human being right,” barber J. Henry said.
Henry owns a barbershop in Parramore and said watching the trial the past few days has been vital.
He was among the many people who took part in protests in Central Florida, calling for change and racial equity following Floyd’s death.
Henry is married to a police officer and said change starts on both sides.
“The community has a responsibility as well when it comes down to dealing with police officers, to comply,” Henry said.
He said as far as the officers, they should be held accountable also.
“You cannot continue to treat people any kind of way and get away with it,” he said.
Barber Leroy Owens said what happened to Floyd was wrong and it’s been tough to explain the situation to his two children, especially his 13-year-old son.
“I try to get him to understand that everybody is not perfect, so you’ve got to do your part,” Owens said. “The whole world is watching this trial right now and they want to see some changes made.”
Owens said moving forward, he hopes people will unify more.
“It’s going to be an eye opener. It’s going to let us know where we need to go from here,” Owens said.
Horace Graham is a former Miami-Dade police officer of 30 years and also weighed in about the trial Wednesday from J. Henry’s barbershop.
“I believed in treating people fairly because what you do transforms with how the public perceives the other officers,” Graham said.
News 6 is streaming the Chauvin trial, you can watch it live on our website every day at ClickOrlando.com.
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