The juror questionnaire for prospective jurors in the Chauvin, Thao, Lane, and Kueng trials, despite Chauvin’s trial being held first:
The jurors:
3/9
2M – White male in his 30’s: An environmental chemist, he was the first juror seated, and said he never watched the video of Floyd’s death, but he saw a video still of Chauvin on top of him. He described himself as willing to change his mind on issues.
51:51:52
Nelson – 3:39:39
Schleicher – 5:36:59
9F – Multiracial woman in her 20’s: Grew up in a small town in northern Minnesota and has an uncle who is a police officer in Brainerd, Minn. She was “excited” to get a summons in this case, which “everyone’s heard about, everyone’s talked about and everyone’s going to talk about long after the trial is over.”
4:39:06
Nelson – 4:44:22
Schleicher – 5:07:54
19M – Juror foreperson – White man in his 50’s: A corporate auditor, he said a “friend of a friend” works for the Minneapolis police but that they had not discussed the case. If there were conflicts in the jury room, he said he would reexamine his own views, but “if I still felt that my viewpoint was the one that I believed in, I think I’d stand by that viewpoint.”
6:45:48
Nelson – 6:49:00
Schleicher – 7:05:48
3/10
27M – Black man in his 30’s: An immigrant who came to the United States more than a decade ago, he once lived near where Floyd was killed. The man said a friend showed him the video of Floyd’s death; afterward, he told his wife: “It could have been me.”
58:55
Nelson – 1:03:45
lunch break between Nelson and Schleicher
Schleicher – 2:19:50
3/12
44F – White woman in her 50’s: An executive at a nonprofit health-care advocacy group and a single mother to two teenage boys, the juror said she discussed White privilege with a Black co-worker. The co-worker’s son is the same age as the juror’s older teenager. “But my White son, if he gets pulled over, doesn’t have to have fear.”
**audio only until Nelson, camera on seal after audio begins until 3:55:49
Nelson – 3:39:39
lunch break between Nelson and Schleicher
Schleicher – 5:36:39
3/15
52M – Black man in his 30’s: He hadn’t seen the video of Floyd’s death in full and wonders why the other officers on the scene did not stop Chauvin. He expressed mixed views on police, saying he once saw them “body slam then mace an individual simply because they did not obey an order quick enough.” But he knows other police officers from his gym and called them “great guys.” Works in banking.
53:31
Nelson – 57:55
Schleicher – 1:29:29
55F – White woman in her 50’s: A single mother of two who rides motorcycles in her spare time, she described being scared by the unrest that gripped Minneapolis last year. Despite having a positive view of police in general, she mentioned seeing officers confront an unarmed White teenager last summer, calling it “harassment” and saying that when she tried to intervene, an officer ordered her to stay back.
2:05:53
Nelson – 2:14:11
Schleicher – 2:38:19
3/17
79M – Black man in his 40’s: An immigrant who has been in the Twin Cities for about 20 years, he lives in the suburbs of Minneapolis. His view of Chauvin was “neutral” and he wanted to hear more of his side before making a judgment.
5:54:50
Nelson – 6:00:40
Schleicher – 6:27:31
85F – Multiracial woman in her 40’s: A self-described “working mom and wife,” she described police officers as humans who “can make mistakes.”
7:17:37
Nelson – 7:23:25
Schleicher – 7:50:21
3/18
89F – White woman in her 50’s: A registered nurse who works with ventilated patients, her medical training was highlighted during the questioning process.
2:29:37
Nelson – 2:35:28
Schleicher – 3:24:06
91F – Black woman in her 60’s: A grandmother originally from South Minneapolis, she said she has a relative on the city’s police force, but they aren’t close. She expressed a positive view of the Black Lives Matter movement, saying: “I am Black. My life matters.”
5:25:55
Nelson – 5:33:40
Schleicher – 6:03:20
92F – White woman in her 40’s: She feels White people are favored by the justice system but strongly disagrees with defunding the police. She said media coverage of Chauvin depicted him as “an aggressive cop with tax problems,” but believed Black people are not treated as well by police.
6:31:55
Nelson – 6:40:15
Schleicher – 7:08:06
Exact Words 