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The owner of the Minneapolis store that called the police on George Floyd for a suspected counterfeit bill said he will not call authorities for such matters in the future.
In a lengthy Facebook post on Sunday, Cup Foods owner Mahmoud Abumayyaleh condemned the actions of the officers involved during the May 25 arrest of Floyd for allegedly passing off a counterfeit $20 bill. One officer, Derek Chauvin, was seen on a video captured by onlookers pinning his knee into Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes.
“We are deeply saddened and outraged by what happened to George Floyd in front of our store,” Abumayyaleh wrote. "There is no justification for the use of reckless force displayed by the police that murdered George Floyd. We support this protest and share in their anger."
He said he was not present at the time a store clerk contacted police to report a man who allegedly tried using a forged $20 bill to purchase cigarettes.
“Despite the fact that George never resisted arrest, police proceeded to end George Floyd’s life over a counterfeit bill. It’s likely that George did not even know that he had a fake bill to begin with,” he said.
Abumayyleh said he will no longer abide by a state policy requiring stores to contact the police for suspected counterfeit currency in an effort to prevent similar incidents from escalating. As a check-cashing business, the store is required to call the police for suspected forgeries so the fake bill can potentially be traced to its origin, he said.
“By simply following procedure we are putting our communities in danger," he said. "Until the police stop killing innocent people, we will handle incidents like this one using non-violent tactics that do not involve police.
"Police are supposed to protect and serve their communities; instead, what we’ve seen over and over again is the police abusing their power and violating the people’s trust," Abumayyaleh added. This is not an isolated incident: they have shown time and time again that they do not know how to peacefully handle conflicts in our community. Until the police stop killing innocent people, we will handle incidents like this one using non-violent tactics that do not involve police."
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The death of Floyd, 46, has prompted widespread protests and riots across the country. Demonstrators have called greater police accountability and criminal justice reform and have at-times violently clashed with authorities. Several states have activated the National Guard in an effort to quell rioting and looting.
Chauvin and three other officers involved in Floyd's arrest were fired days after Floyd's death. In addition. Chauvin has also been charged with murder.
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