‘A hero’: Darnella Frazier who filmed viral video of George Floyd’s murder credited with making guilty verdict possible
The teenage bystander who recorded the graphic video of George Floyd’s broad-daylight murder last spring is being hailed as a hero after ex-Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all charges Tuesday.
The high school senior, Darnella Frazier, shared her 10-minute video on Facebook just hours after witnessing the deadly arrest with 9-year-old cousin and several other horrified bystanders. The video quickly went viral, allowing millions of people around the world to watch the horrific killing that sparked a racial justice movement.
“Darnella Frazier is a hero,” actress Kerry Washington wrote on Twitter. “Her bravery in that moment must never be forgotten. We lift you up Darnella.”
“Darnella Frazier. Thank you,” Oscar-winning filmmaker Michael Moore tweeted. “As a brave 17-year old standing on that curb in Minneapolis, you took out your phone and hit record. You changed the world. No film in our time has been more important than yours.”
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The St. Paul native and her young cousin were among several bystanders who took the witness stand at Chauvin’s murder trial. Frazier told the jury in an emotional testimony that they were walking home on May 25 when they saw police restraining Floyd as the unarmed Black man repeatedly begged for air. Frazier then decided to record the scene on her phone — a decision that may have changed everything.
“This last hour my heart was beating so fast, I was so anxious, anxiety bussing through the roof,” she wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday. “But to know GUILTY ON ALL 3 CHARGES!!! THANK YOU GOD.”
The New York City-based nonprofit PEN America gave her a national courage award last fall for documenting Floyd’s final moments. The group’s CEO, Suzanne Nossel, said at the time that Frazier “changed the course of history in this country” with “nothing more than a cell phone and sheer guts.”
Other admirers say Frazier should win even bigger awards.
“The woman who documented the murder of George Floyd deserves a Pulitzer Prize. What work of media has been more consequential in the past year?” St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter wrote on Twitter.
Darnella Frazier. Thank you. As a brave 17-year old standing on that curb in Minneapolis, you took out your phone and hit record. You changed the world. No film in our time has been more important than yours. Now the rise-up, the fight, moves quickly forward. Thank you, Darnella.
— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) April 20, 2021
Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine agreed, saying Frazier should win a Pulitzer for photojournalism.
“She is a stellar example of how everyday people can be powerful in documenting injustice and creating momentum for accountability,” he tweeted.
Even Oprah Winfrey weighed in.
“I’m grateful to the witnesses and their testimonies,” she said in a Facebook post shortly after the verdict. “Grateful to Darnella Frazier. Grateful to every Juror for seeing and acknowledging what the world saw on that tape.”
