Jory Selection began this week in the trial of Derek Chauvin. The former police officer charged with murder and the killing of George Floyd.

Activist and media descended on the Hennebick County courthouse in downtown Minneapolis. For the trial of the white police officer captured on video with his knee on George Floyd's neck. As Floyd said he could not breathe.

Now Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is leading the state's case against Chauvin. Chauvin is being represented by defense attorney Erg Nelson. And after some initial start to stops, Jory Selection is underway.

This is what Floyd's family and supporters have been waiting for since last summer. Charges, a trial by Jory, and ultimately a verdict.

The right to quote a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury is a critical piece of the justice system baked into our Constitution.

Jory's whole tremendous power in our legal system to determine our fate. They often determine who lives, who dies, who goes to prison, and who goes free.

So the selection of a jury in the Chauvin case is a critical first step. But what does impartial really mean? It's tough to get a conviction in cases against a police officer under ordinary circumstances.

And in Hennebick County, where black folks make up about 14% of the population, how hard will it be for black people to be seated on the jury in this case?

This potential jury should represent all the beautiful diversity of Hennebick County.

I'm Tremaine Lee, and this is Into America. Today, we explore the hidden and not-so-hidden ways that Jory's reflect America's racial biases, efforts to fix them, and whether it's possible to have a fair and impartial jury in one of the most anticipated trials in recent memory.

The first Jory in the Chauvin case was selected late Tuesday morning, a man dubbed Jory No.2.

His white works as a chemist and was the second person to be interviewed. The entire country is watching and waiting as the judge and attorneys select 12 jurors and two alternates in a process that is expected to last a few weeks.

But Charlene Cook of Chicago, Illinois probably won't be following along.

No, no. My girlfriend called me the other day and she asked me, oh, you know, they have the jury selection. I was like, okay. But no, I'm not going to get wrapped up in that.

You've had your fill of it.

I've had my feeling that one was a little bit more than I could stomach. You know, because how bold can you be?

For Charlene, who is 62 years old, the case and all of the media attention around it feels too close.

Jason Van Dyke was the only Chicago police officer of at least eight on the scene to fire his gun at 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.

It was a case that police might have gotten away with, but for the video.

In 2014, footage from a police dash cam captured a white Chicago cop, Jason Van Dyke, getting out of his police SUV and firing 16 shots over the course of 15 seconds at 17-year-old McDonald.

Police said he'd been swinging a knife at officers, but the video clearly shows he was walking away.

Laquan McDonald moved rushed to the hospital, but ultimately died.

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