8 minutes 46 seconds

For other uses, see 8:46.

8 minutes 46 seconds (8:46) is a symbol of police brutality that originated from the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States.[1] Derek Chauvin, a police officer, knelt on Floyd's neck, asphyxiating him. The duration that Chauvin spent kneeling was reported for weeks as 8 minutes 46 seconds,[2] and later as 7 minutes 46 seconds,[3] until body camera footage released in August 2020 showed that the actual time was 9 minutes 29 seconds.[4][5][6] In the days following his murder, and the protests that followed, the duration became a focus of commemorations and debates, especially around Blackout Tuesday.[7]

The duration has been specifically referenced in "die-in" protests in Minneapolis, New York, Boston, Detroit, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, Chicago, Denver, and other cities, where protesters lay down for eight minutes and 46 seconds to protest police brutality and the racialized killings by law enforcement officers in the United States.[8] It has also been used in numerous commemorations, vigils and gatherings to recognize Floyd and protest his murder, including at his memorial.[9]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference AMY FORLITI was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "8 minutes, 46 seconds". St. Cloud Times. May 29, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  3. ^ Hill, Evan; Tiefenthäler, Ainara; Triebert, Christiaan; Jordan, Drew; Willis, Haley; Stein, Robin (May 31, 2020). "8 Minutes and 46 Seconds: How George Floyd Was Killed in Police Custody". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 2, 2020. Minnesota prosecutors acknowledged Wednesday that a Minneapolis police officer had his knee on the neck of George Floyd for 7 minutes, 46 seconds — not the 8:46 that has become a symbol of police brutality — but said the one-minute error would have no impact on the criminal case against four officers.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Star Tribune was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference levenson_03292021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cooper, Gael Fashingbauer (June 2, 2020). "Music industry players including Mick Jagger, Quincy Jones respond to George Floyd's death with Blackout Tuesday: 'This is what solidarity looks like'". CNET. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference racialized killings by law enforcement was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Searcey, Dionne (June 4, 2020). "At George Floyd Memorial, an Anguished Call for Change". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 5, 2020.