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The tragic killing of George Floyd in May 2020 was a world-changing event that shook our collective conscience. Millions of us watched in horror as Derek Chauvin pressed his knee on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes, ignoring his cries for help, the pleas of bystanders and ultimately the absence of any movement from Floyd's body. Police officers and even police union leadership around the country condemned Minneapolis for allowing this to happen and for causing us problems in cities around the world that summer. We all knew what we saw, and we all knew it was wrong.

Now, nearly five years later, some are attempting to rewrite history by attacking Assistant Chief Katie Blackwell, a longtime Minneapolis police officer and one of the highest-ranking enlisted women in the Minnesota National Guard, for her testimony in Chauvin's criminal trial. Alpha News and reporter Liz Collin have accused Blackwell of lying when she stated that Chauvin's actions were not part of the Minneapolis Police Department's training. But let's be clear: Chauvin's actions were indefensible, and his choice to kneel on a handcuffed, unresponsive man's neck for an extended period was not in line with any legitimate police training in the civilized world.

During Chauvin's trial, multiple experts — including Blackwell and several other MPD officers — testified that what he did was not taught or condoned by MPD. This wasn't just opinion. It was a fact backed up by training records, other courageous officers' testimony, and the public condemnation of Chauvin's actions by dozens of his own colleagues. In the immediate aftermath of Floyd's death, 14 MPD officers signed an open letter to the public explicitly stating that Chauvin's actions "were not the values we were trained in" and that his use of force was completely unjustified.

Yet, despite the overwhelming consensus within MPD leadership and law enforcement experts, some conservative media outlets are now attempting to discredit Blackwell by pushing a revisionist narrative. Their goal is clear: to sow doubt about the legitimacy of Chauvin's conviction and to undermine efforts to reform policing in Minneapolis.

Let's not be fooled by these bad-faith attacks. Chauvin was not a scapegoat — his actions betrayed the values of our noble profession. Blackwell, in her difficult role as a witness, simply did what any professional and any true leader would do: She told the truth. She testified to what every reasonable officer knows — that kneeling on the neck of a handcuffed, non-resistant suspect for more than nine minutes, to the point where he is lifeless, is not proper policing, nor is it a trained technique.

The broader issue here is not just about one officer's testimony but about our willingness to hold ourselves accountable and ensure that what happened to George Floyd never happens again. Attempts to rewrite the past and vilify those who spoke the truth serve no one except those who wish to avoid accountability.

We must remain focused on what truly matters: building a police department of integrity, one that is able to self-correct. This starts with recognizing that Chauvin acted well outside the bounds of his training and his duty. It also means defending those, like Assistant Chief Blackwell, who courageously spoke out against misconduct rather than enabling those who would excuse it.

The truth about what happened in May 2020 is clear. No amount of revisionist history can change that.

Brian O'Hara is the chief of police in Minneapolis.