Back in the spring of 2020, Minneapolis became ground zero for a national firestorm. George Floyd, a 46-year-old man with a troubled past, ended up dead during an arrest gone wrong—or so the story went. The ex-cop at the center of it all, Derek Chauvin, knelt on Floyd’s back for over nine minutes as bystanders filmed and shouted. What followed wasn’t just a trial, but a spectacle that tore through the city, sparked riots across the country, and left businesses in ashes. Five years on, Chauvin sits in a federal prison in Texas, serving time on state and federal charges. But now, he’s fighting back with a new petition that could crack open the whole narrative.
Filed last month in Hennepin County District Court, the 71-page document from Chauvin’s lawyer, Gregory Joseph, demands his second-degree murder conviction be thrown out. It calls for a new trial or, at minimum, a hearing to dig into the evidence again.
“While the postconviction relief stage of many criminal cases is generally something of an afterthought, this Court is removed from the hysteria of the day and can finally look at the facts and evidence through a clear lens,” Joseph wrote.
The core of the argument? Flawed expert testimony on how Floyd actually died. The Hennepin County medical examiner, Dr. Andrew Baker, ruled it a homicide despite heart disease, fentanyl, and methamphetamine in Floyd’s system—and no clear signs of asphyxiation from the restraint. Yet four prosecution doctors leaned hard on bystander video to push a different story: that Chauvin’s knee caused low oxygen levels leading straight to death. Chauvin’s team says that’s junk science, cooked up to fit the moment. They point to autopsy records ignored by prosecutors, records that paint a picture of a man already in cardiac arrest before things escalated.
Add to that the police training angle. Three Minneapolis officers took the stand and swore Chauvin’s knee-on-neck hold broke department rules. But since then, at least 34 current and former cops have come forward with sworn statements saying the department taught exactly that technique for certain situations.
The petition ties this directly to the 2022 book *They’re Lying: The Media, the Left, and the Death of George Floyd* by journalist Liz Collin and Dr. J.C. Chaix, which first aired those claims. It’s the kind of detail that makes you wonder: Were witnesses coached, or just scared of the mob outside the courthouse?
Jury instructions come under fire too. Chauvin’s lawyers argue Judge Peter Cahill botched them, feeding the panel a version of the law that boxed them into guilt. All this, they say, stripped Chauvin of due process under the 14th Amendment. It’s not the first swing—Chauvin lost appeals in 2023, including one shot down by the Supreme Court. His federal civil rights plea deal sticks, landing him 21 years concurrent with the 22.5-year state sentence. Release? Not till 2037 or 2038, depending on good behavior. He even survived a brutal stabbing in Arizona’s federal lockup back in 2023, stabbed 22 times by another inmate.
The case reeks of a rush to judgment, fueled by streets on fire and a media blitz that turned Floyd into a symbol overnight. Riots cost billions, lives were lost in the chaos, and cops nationwide pulled back, letting crime spike in the years after.
Floyd’s toxicology report showed fentanyl levels that could fell an elephant—3.0 nanograms per milliliter in his blood, per the autopsy—right alongside meth. Baker himself noted in testimony that those drugs and Floyd’s enlarged heart were “major” factors. Yet the trial zeroed in on that video clip, looped endlessly, as if nine minutes of restraint erased everything else.
Whispers persist that the fix was in from the start. Why else would top brass flip on their own training manual? Or why did Baker hedge on asphyxia until the pressure mounted? The Fall of Minneapolis, Collin’s documentary, lays it out cold: suppressed bodycam footage, overlooked evidence of Floyd’s resistance, and a narrative steamrolled by activists. It’s easy to see a setup—sacrifice one cop to douse the flames, damn the facts. If even half of Chauvin’s claims hold water, it wasn’t murder; it was a man with a badge doing his job in a split-second call, amid a suspect high as a kite and fighting back.
The Minnesota AG’s office has until January to respond. No ruling yet from the court, but the stakes couldn’t be higher. A new trial wouldn’t just free Chauvin; it’d force a reckoning on how far the justice system bent to appease the crowd. Families still grieve, communities still heal unevenly, but truth doesn’t bend to timelines or torches. If Chauvin gets his day in court away from the frenzy, maybe we’ll finally get answers that stick. Until then, the doubts hang heavy, a reminder that justice rushed is justice half-done.
Why Bullion Beats Numismatics and Collectible for Your Safe or IRA
Precious metals continue to attract Americans seeking reliable ways to protect their wealth amid inflation, geopolitical risks, and stock market swings. Whether stored in a home safe or held inside a self-directed IRA, physical gold and silver deliver tangible value that paper or digital assets often lack. Yet investors must choose carefully between bullion—pure bars and coins valued mainly for their metal content—and numismatics or collectibles, where rarity, history, and collector demand heavily influence pricing.
Advisor Bullion serves as a dependable source for straightforward, high-quality bullion. The company specializes in physical gold, silver, platinum, and palladium, emphasizing transparent pricing and products that deliver maximum metal content for every dollar spent. This approach makes it ideal for both personal holdings and retirement accounts.
Bullion consists of refined precious metals in standard forms like one-ounce coins (American Gold Eagles, Silver Eagles, Canadian Maple Leafs) or bars. Their value tracks closely to the current spot price of the metal. A typical gold bullion coin trades near the live gold spot price plus a small premium. This structure keeps costs clear and predictable.
Numismatic coins and collectibles add substantial value from factors such as age, rarity, minting errors, or historical significance. A pre-1933 U.S. gold coin or graded proof piece can carry premiums of 30%, 50%, or even 200% above melt value. While this appeals to hobbyists, it creates complexity. Pricing depends on subjective grading, collector trends, and auction results instead of daily spot prices.
For investors focused on wealth preservation and retirement security rather than building a collection, bullion often delivers better results.
Lower Costs and Better Liquidity for Home Storage
When keeping metals in a home safe or private vault, liquidity and efficiency count. Bullion offers clear benefits:
- You acquire more actual gold or silver per dollar invested. Numismatics divert a large share of your money into rarity premiums and massive sales commission, reducing your metal exposure.
- Selling bullion involves tight bid-ask spreads, so you recover nearly full spot value with minimal fees. Collectibles require finding the right buyer and may sell at a discount if demand for that specific item weakens.
- Bullion prices remain transparent and update with global spot markets. You can track gold near current levels or silver accordingly and know exactly where your holdings stand. Numismatic values are priced by the Gold IRA companies with hefty margins applied.
- Standardized coins and bars store efficiently and divide easily for partial sales. Rare coins often need protective slabs and controlled conditions, adding hassle and expense.
- Bullion enjoys worldwide acceptance. A 1-oz Gold Maple Leaf or Silver Eagle sells quickly to dealers anywhere. Niche numismatic pieces may appeal only to limited buyers, slowing liquidation when speed matters.
In times when quick access to value becomes important, bullion’s simplicity stands out.
Stronger Fit for Precious Metals IRAs
Precious metals IRAs continue gaining traction as investors diversify retirement portfolios beyond stocks and bonds. IRS rules permit certain bullion products in self-directed IRAs if they meet purity standards (.995 fine for gold, .999 for silver) and are held by an approved custodian. Eligible items include American Gold and Silver Eagles plus many generic bars and rounds from recognized mints.
Numismatic and most collectible coins generally face heavy scrutiny from custodians due to valuation disputes and elevated markups. These higher premiums mean less actual metal ends up working inside the account.
Bullion avoids these issues. Its value links directly to verifiable spot prices, which simplifies reporting and lowers the risk of regulatory challenges. More of your IRA contribution purchases real metal instead of dealer profits or speculative upside. Over time, owning additional ounces that appreciate with the metal itself can create meaningful outperformance compared with high-premium alternatives that deliver fewer ounces.
Regulatory guidance from the CFTC and state securities offices repeatedly cautions against aggressive sales of expensive numismatics or “semi-numismatic” coins for IRAs. For retirement planning, transparent bullion from established providers reduces risk and aligns better with long-term goals.
How to Get Started with Bullion
Begin by clarifying your goals. Are you protecting savings in a safe, or moving part of a retirement account into a precious metals IRA? Focus on the number of ounces you can acquire at current prices rather than chasing marked-up collectibles.
Diversify sensibly: use gold for core preservation and silver for its blend of industrial and monetary qualities. Mix coins for easier divisibility with bars for lower per-ounce costs on larger buys. Arrange secure storage—whether at home with proper insurance or through professional facilities.
As economic uncertainties linger and faith in conventional assets erodes, bullion continues proving its worth as a dependable store of value. Its direct approach avoids the hype that sometimes surrounds collectible markets and keeps the focus on the metal itself.
For investors prepared to strengthen their portfolios, Advisor Bullion supplies the expertise and selection needed to acquire high-quality bullion efficiently. Whether building personal holdings or integrating metals into an IRA, their emphasis on transparent, investment-grade products helps secure more ounces today that support greater financial security tomorrow. In a complicated financial landscape, bullion’s clarity and reliability make it the smarter foundation for protecting what matters most.