Eight minutes 46 seconds

8 minutes 46 seconds (8:46) is a symbol of police brutality. It comes from the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States.^[1] Derek Chauvin, a police officer, put his knee on Floyd's neck. This stop Floyd from being able to breathe. The time that Chauvin spent kneeling was reported for weeks as 8 minutes 46 seconds.^[2] It was later reported as 7 minutes 46 seconds.^[3] Body camera footage released in August 2020 showed that the actual time was 9 minutes 29 seconds.^[4][5][6] In the days after his murder, 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]

In the days after his death, and the protests that followed, that specific time span has become the focus of debates, especially around Blackout Tuesday.^[10]

The time has been specifically referenced in "die-in" protests in Minneapolis, New York, Chicago Boston, Philadelphia, Portland, Denver and other cities, where protesters lay down for 8 minutes and 46 seconds to protest police brutality.^{[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]}

1. ↑ Cite error: The named reference AMY FORLITI was used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).
2. ↑ "8 minutes, 46 seconds". St. Cloud Times. May 29, 2020. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
3. ↑ Hill, Evan; Tiefenthäler, Ainara; Triebert, Christiaan; Jordan, Drew; Willis, Haley; Stein, Robin (2020-05-31). "8 Minutes and 46 Seconds: How George Floyd Was Killed in Police Custody". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-02. 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 used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).
5. ↑ Cite error: The named reference Star Tribune was used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).
6. ↑ Cite error: The named reference levenson_03292021 was used but no text was provided for refs named (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 2020-06-02.
8. ↑ Cite error: The named reference racialized killings by law enforcement was used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).
9. ↑ Searcey, Dionne (2020-06-04). "At George Floyd Memorial, an Anguished Call for Change". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-05.
10. ↑ Cooper, Gael Fashingbauer. "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 2020-06-02.
11. ↑ Pozo, Nathalie (June 2, 2020). "Thousands of protesters hold die-in, march through Boston to protest death of George Floyd". WHDH. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
12. ↑ "George Floyd protest updates: City curfews going into effect nationwide". ABC News. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
13. ↑ "Protests show no sign of fading more than a week after the death of George Floyd". NBC News. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
14. ↑ "Denver sees a third day of protests over George Floyd's death". Denverite. 2020-05-30. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
15. ↑ "Hundreds of protesters in New York staged a die-in in Times Square". SBS News. Archived from the original on 2020-06-02. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
16. ↑ "Hours of peaceful protests in Portland again followed by unlawful assembly". KGW. 2 June 2020. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
17. ↑ "In Philadelphia, there were nine minutes of silence. In LA protesters knelt with their hands up in peace signs as they waited to". DNyuz. 2020-06-03. Archived from the original on 2020-06-03. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
18. ↑ Wehelie, Benazir; Woodyatt, Amy (June 3, 2020). "'I can't breathe': Hundreds lie down in protest". CNN. Retrieved 2020-06-04.