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Minneapolis (AP) - For a good eight minutes, the white policeman kneels on the neck of the unarmed African American George Floyd.
“I can't breathe,” the 46-year-old pleads several times before falling silent forever.
However, the officer Derek Chauvin continues to dig his knee into his neck, ignoring screaming passers-by.
Videos captured the brutal police operation.
After that, countless demonstrators in the United States called for “justice for George”.
Now the expectations are high: Chauvin will be tried from this Monday.
Many people, including arguably most black Americans, are hoping for a long sentence.
For a verdict that sends a signal against racism and police violence - a sign that violence against black people in the USA does not go unpunished.
However, if the court in Minneapolis, northern Minnesota, imposes a low sentence on Chauvin or acquits him, there could be another wave of protests.
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The fate of Floyd, along with the pandemic and the election campaign, was one of the three big events that shaped 2020 in the USA.
The brutal killing of the black man on May 25 reopened the deep wounds of racism.
There was an outcry across the country.
Despite the Corona requirements, there were mass protests against police violence and racism that lasted for weeks.
Many observers spoke of the largest wave of protests since the civil rights movement of the 1960s.
Almost everywhere during protests there were posters with inscriptions such as “Black Lives Matter” (for example: Black lives are important), “No Justice, No Peace” (no justice, no peace) or “White Silence, White Violence” (white silence , white violence).
Observers such as former President Barack Obama noted that never before have so many whites taken to the streets for black rights.
More than 150 years after the abolition of slavery and a good five decades after full legal equality for blacks in the United States, there is still a lot of catching up to do.
The structural disadvantage of the minority, which makes up around 13 percent of the population, has many facets: Blacks live less long on average and are less well educated than whites.
Studies have shown that the net worth of the average white family is up to ten times that of a black family.
In addition, African Americans and blacks are significantly more likely to be victims of police violence.
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Often the racism in everyday life is much more subtle.
Over the weekend, for example, many US media reported an incident involving the black poet Amanda Gorman, who became famous with her poem at the inauguration of President Joe Biden.
An employee of a security service followed her on the evening in front of her house because she “looked suspicious,” reported the 22-year-old.
"This is the reality for black girls: one day they call you an icon, the next day a threat," she wrote on Twitter.
Floyd's killing and the protests set a lot in motion in the United States.
Statues of figures accused of slavery or oppression of blacks disappeared from the public eye.
Celebrities donated to organizations that fight against racism.
Companies promised to provide more targeted support to members of minorities.
There were also changes in professional sport, from the National Football League (NFL) to the football association.
Several states and cities launched police reforms to prevent excessive use of force.
They banned police officers, for example, from strangleholdings and neck restraints, or restricted the officers' immunity.
There were only limited changes at the federal level, largely due to then-US President Donald Trump and his Republicans.
A few days ago the House of Representatives passed a law named after George Floyd for police reforms.
The Senate still has to give its approval - and it is uncertain whether the necessary majority will be achieved there.
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Floyd's death also marked a turning point for the US election campaign, especially since it politically electrified blacks, members of minorities and also many whites: Trump complained above all about allegedly violent demonstrators and did not want to see any signs of structural racism in the USA.
Biden, however, stood behind the movement and campaigned for the fight against racism.
The Democrat and his black Vice President Kamala Harris now rule the White House - not least because of the support of many blacks.
The trial against Chauvin begins with the selection of the jury, the main trial is not due to start until March 29th.
The court has already been cordoned off with concrete barriers and fences, the police are on a large scale, and soldiers from the National Guard have been mobilized.
The security forces want to allow peaceful protests, but also prevent riots like those that followed Floyd's death.
The police officer, who has since been released and was released on bail, is accused of second-degree murder without intent.
They are imprisoned for up to 40 years.
According to German law, this would be more like manslaughter.
The indictment also accuses Chauvin of second degree manslaughter.
This can also be punished with 10 years imprisonment.
An appeals court ruled Friday that Chauvin could also be charged with third degree murder.
It says up to 25 years imprisonment - but this decision could delay the process a little more.
A prison sentence for Chauvin seems very likely, given the evidence.
It is questionable, however, whether the court will find him guilty of murder as well.
The length of the prison sentence will depend on this.
Letters from his attorneys suggest that they are trying to argue that the use was justified because Floyd resisted.
They also argue - in contradiction to the official autopsy - that Floyd's death was due to his bad health and drug residues in his blood.
The police arrested Floyd on suspicion of paying with a fake $ 20 bill.
The other three ex-police officers involved in the operation are charged with complicity in murder and manslaughter of the second degree.
You are free on bail and will have to appear in court from August 23rd.
If convicted, they face long prison terms.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210307-99-725611 / 3
Court website with all the documents relating to the trial, in English
Tweet Amanda Gormans, English