During the ongoing trial of Derek Chauvin, charged for second-degree unintentional murder and third-degree murder of George Floyd, defense attorney Eric Nelson attempted to paint a witness of the crime as "angry."
CNN's legal analyst Laura Coates gave praise to witness Donald Williams II, a Black man and mixed martial arts fighter, for continuing to push back on the portrayal of his attitude on that day.
Nelson began by asserting Williams was "upset" that day, but eventually began pressing on the word "angry" and continued repeating it numerous times.
But Williams continued to reply with:
"I grew control and professionalism."
As Coates put it, Williams didn't take the "bait" given to him.
Williams said:
"No, you can't paint me as angry."
"I was in a position where I had to be controlled. A controlled professionalism. I wasn't angry because I stayed on the curb."
Nelson tried to strike the statements from the record but the judge overruled.
As Coates explained it, Nelson was trying to use the reactions of the witnesses as scapegoats for the actions of the officers.
She stated:
"What they were trying to do is suggest somehow and scapegoat the crowd, reacting to what they witnessed and their belief they had just seen a murder."
"That somehow their calls, their actions somehow influenced the officer's decision to take the knee off or keep the knee on George Floyd's neck."
"Those are wholly distinct issues."
Many on twitter agreed with Coates analysis and applauded Donald Williams for his controlled responses.
As the trial continues, we are reminded by Missouri Democrat Representative Cori Bush to 'take up space' and take care of ourselves.
@WhiteHouse/X
