Talk:George Floyd

Frequently asked questions

Q1: Does it have to say "white" police officer?

A1: Yes, because almost all reliable sources emphasize the significance of this fact.

Q2: I read some information on the web that isn't in this article!

A2: When proposing anything to be added to the article you need to cite a reliable source; secondary sources are generally preferred over primary.

Q3: This article is biased (for/against), or (whitewashes/blames), (Floyd/police)!

A3: See our neutral point of view policy. Complaints of bias must be accompanied by specific concerns or suggestions for change. Vague, general statements don't help.

Q4: Why is this article calling it a murder instead of a death/killing?

A4: As a person was formally convicted for murder in a court of law, the article uses the term "murder", in line with the community guidance at WP:MURDERS.

Q5: Wasn't Floyd killed near a store called Cub Foods, not Cup Foods?

A5: The store is Cup Foods, and is not affiliated with the Cub Foods store chain.

Q6: Why does the article use such a graphic photo? Isn't it in poor taste?

A6: The lead image was determined by the community in a formal Request for Comment process. The RfC reached an "overwhelming consensus" that "...the image, despite it being traumatizing, should be kept per WP:NOTCENSORED, as it is an appropriate representation of the topic."

Q7: Why was my request or comment removed?

A7: Because of the frequency of meritless and disruptive requests, any further requests to describe Floyd's murder using other terms (e.g. "death", "overdose") or to change the name of the article accordingly will be removed without consideration, unless the request complies with all relevant Wikipedia guidelines and essays, including WP:Requested moves, WP:Common name, WP:Article titles, WP:Naming conventions (violence and deaths), and WP:Reliable sources. Anyone removing such requests should include a link to this FAQ in their edit summary.

Q8: Why do we not call the protests riots?

A8: Because most reliable sources call them protests, not riots.

Q9: Did he not die of a drug overdose?

A9: No, whilst fentanyl was a contributory factor, his death certificate lists his cause of death as "cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression".

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This article has been viewed enough times in a single week to appear in the Top 25 Report 2 times. The weeks in which this happened:

This article has been mentioned by a media organization:

Harrison, Stephen (June 9, 2020). "How Wikipedia Became a Battleground for Racial Justice". Slate.

This article was nominated for deletion on 31 May 2020. The result of the discussion was redirect to Death of George Floyd.

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Merging pages with Killing of George Floyd

The subject of the article is only known for one incident: his cause of death. Everything that happened around that has little to do with the individual involved and more to do with the larger issue at hand, which is racial discrimination and the treatment of Blacks by American law enforcement. Since, other than his cause of death, George Floyd is not notable for literally anything else, I would suggest there only be a "Killing of George Floyd" page, as well as the removal of the "George Floyd" page.

The fact that several points of information such as biographical notes have been repeated throughout the page, I would say that this only proves my point that there is not enough to warrant Floyd having his own Wikipedia page.AThousandPaperCranes (talk) 04:34, 13 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Following a discussion, George Floyd was redirected to Death of George Floyd on 31 May 2020, and since renamed Killing of George Floyd. This current article was started on 5 June 2020 and has existed since. Anyone is free to start a deletion/merge request, but there is no chance this article will be deleted, especially now that Chauvin's trial is underway. WWGB (talk) 04:57, 13 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Oppose. He’s become more notable since his death and his biography is the subject of many reputable sources. He’s a notable historic figure. Minnemeeples (talk) 04:59, 13 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose. This is clearly not a realistic idea; there are too many sources, and it feels like a bad faith tagging to me.--Jorm (talk) 05:44, 13 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose. Though I have sympathy for the point being made. The notability of Floyds life is intrinsically tied to his death (and manner of death) which I don't think anyone disagrees with. However the level of coverage of the fallout of George Floyds death clearly has almost nothing to do with Floyd himself at this point. I think the "Murder of" article has taken on its own life at this point. The only other realistic way of splitting it would be as "George Floyd" as one article (inclusive of his death), and "Trial of Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin" on the other containing everything related to Floyds death and fallout. Koncorde (talk) 10:14, 13 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]
- Comment. I think you are on to something there. There is no killing of Crispus Attucks article; the article is just Crispus Attucks. (There is a Boston Massacre article though.) Much like Floyd, Attucks was not a notable person until after his death, and the cause of his death and symbolism of it took on broader meaning by many people, and historians have continued to uncover more and more about Attucks over time. Not sure if this makes much sense. But I could see George Floyd being the main article and some stuff, like all the bail and trial stuff about Chauvin moving to the Chauvin article. Just a thought. Minnemeeples (talk) 18:26, 14 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose. Various reliable sources discuss him solely and the contents of his life—to the point that a separate bio is warranted. DMT biscuit (talk) 12:11, 13 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]
Support George Floyd the man was never notable. His death is a notable event. The protests and reactions are notable events. --Khajidha (talk) 21:59, 25 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]
Support only his death was notable. Yes, there are sources that cover his life, but when considering the number (and depth) of these in comparison to the number surrounding his death and subsequent events, the rest of his life isn't notable enough to warrant inclusion. Kind regards, Willbb234^Talk (please {{ping}} me in replies) 01:32, 28 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]
Comment Result of last discussion was "not merged" at Talk:Killing_of_George_Floyd/Archive_2#Proposed_merge_of_George_Floyd_into_Killing_of_George_Floyd in June 2020.—Bagumba (talk) 07:18, 28 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose. As was said many times in the last discussion, WP:1E has an exception for people involved in exceptionally significant events, and this certainly qualifies in that it was a major catalyst for the 2020 resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement. —pythoncoder (talk | contribs) 22:57, 29 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose I agree with Minnemeeples. His biography is covered in sources which have nothing to do with his death. Dimadick (talk) 23:06, 29 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion

The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion:

George Floyd Memorial in Portland, Oregon.jpg

Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 09:39, 16 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]

It's Black and white (people)

According to the AP style guide, capitalize Black when used in a racial/ethnic sense, but do not capitalize white. Minnemeeples (talk) 21:43, 26 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]

We don't use the AP style guide, we have our own. And it was recently decided that either Black and White or black and white was acceptable, but not Black and white (or black and White, for that matter). --Khajidha (talk) 04:27, 27 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]

User:Khajidha Where and when was this decided? I can't seem to find it...due to my laziness, poor searching abilities, or both. Minnemeeples (talk) 17:16, 27 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]

@Minnemeeples: see this RfC and some more recent discussion on the matter. Basically, while they can be capitalized in (mostly US-centric) articles, there isn't a preferred style, and it shouldn't be mixed (i.e. using both "Black" and "white"). --Volteer1 (talk) 17:48, 27 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the explanation and links, Khajidha and Volteer1. -- Minnemeeples (talk)

So then we should have grammatical consistency on the article and capitalize either both or neither then, no? Drassow (talk) 15:04, 27 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Seems fair.Slatersteven (talk) 15:09, 27 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Then why isn't this happening? 139.138.6.121 (talk) 21:28, 29 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]

The article consistently capitalizes White and Black. This issue appears to be resolved. Minnemeeples (talk) 21:30, 29 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]

It's hypocritical and discriminatory to capitalize one but not the other. 138.162.128.52 (talk) 15:52, 30 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Peer review of new edits

Your updates to this article do a good job in providing additional sources as well as relevant new information/current events. I was impressed by the additional of differing perspectives and attributing competing claims to respective sources. I would suggest adjusting the structure of the article as the Personal life section was very short and seemed like it overlapped with the early and later life sections. I would also add a short discussion or link to Black Lives Matter as that was not mentioned in the article. Good job overall! S.shedore (talk) 15:04, 30 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]