The Significance of Derek Chauvin’s Verdict

by with One Comment FeaturedRace RelationsSocial Issues

Guilty. The one word that signified the end of a three-week trial. The trial of Derek Chauvin on the murder of George Floyd is one that encompasses the remnants of 401 years of inhumane treatment of Black lives in America. George Floyd’s death is reminiscent of that of Emmett Till; galvanizing a new generation of Civil Rights activists to open the eyes of the world to say yes, Black Lives Matter. That we are people too, but more than anything else, we are human. 

This verdict did not come without some angst or doubt that a sliver of justice would be served.  In the cases, of Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Breonna Taylor, Philando Castile, Sandra Bland, and Eric Garner, where was the justice? It has been the Black experience that our lives remain insignificant to that of our counterparts in the eye of the police. 

As we collectively breathe a sigh of relief now that we have a verdict, I cannot help but recognize that this euphoric feeling is only temporary. The verdict leaves me to beg the question, what happens next? What happens to the other officers involved? How will they be held accountable? Would there be new policies to include accountability among fellow officers? How will this change the way policing is done? For a system where ideologies of White Supremacy and racism are inherent, these changes needed to happen yesterday.  

Police Training…

This verdict sets the tone for America to reevaluate policing. It would be wise to consider looking at the training of police forces in other countries, which results in fewer police shootings and murders. We say we need more training, yet it seems the issue is not the frequency, but the length of time, quality, and substance of the information given during training. Too many people of color have been victimized due to those inherent values, mediocre quality in training, and the lack of interest and investment in continual support of the mental health (other than passing a psychological exam) of police officers. It is apparent that the policies and training are far beyond inadequate and lacking.

There is so much work to be done, and it requires all of us to work together to bring about effective change. The only way to move is forward, all of us, together.

George Floyd’s death and the trial of Derek Chauvin will serve as a milestone in how far we have come as African-Americans. The verdict has a special place in our history’s timeline. Just as Emmet Till’s death sparked the Civil Rights Movement, George Floyd’s death is launching a new wave of activists; leading a new era when it comes to justice: accountability. We are nowhere near true justice, but the will and desire to seek and achieve it has become the goal.

This case will forever signify one simple truth that we all know; that we are people; that we are human, but most of all: BLACK LIVES MATTER

Similar Read: Chauvin Verdict

Chauvin Verdict

by with One Comment FeaturedRace RelationsSocial Issues

The Derek Chauvin verdict reveals the deep divide that remains in our country between races.

In a “post-racial” America (aka complete fiction for the foreseeable future), all citizens would look at the evidence and come to cold, rational, objective conclusions.

“These experts testified that the actions were not acceptable based on all current approved training and procedures. Thus, the latitude that being an officer of the law grants to the brave men and women who choose this dangerous profession is taken out of consideration. Consequently, this was a murder.”

There would be no talk of drugs in the victim’s system, insinuating a lesser person deserving of an unjust consequence.

There would be no talk of the angry or fearful White men with too much power having immunity from the consequences of his actions.

There would only be the facts (evidence), the presentation (the lawyers), and the conclusion (the jury). A decision would be made and it would ideally be very satisfactory for a large majority of the viewing audience *regardless of race.”

This person did something that constitutes murder from the definition that we have agreed upon in our collective society.

No larger context needed to pollute this very specific outcome:

“But if they convict this officer, then it means no police will ever be given the benefit of the doubt again.”

“But if he is not guilty, then police can act with impunity and continue to kill without due process.”

No. He is guilty or not guilty. Justice has prevailed to the best of its ability.

In the case of Derek Chauvin. He is guilty. Justice is served….

Not Guilty, Again

by with No Comment Uncategorized

Not guilty. Two words that in the past years send a chill down my spine, make my stomach turn, and cause tears to roll down my cheeks. Not guilty.  Two words that seem to be said repeatedly when a Black person is killed due to the actions of a police officer.  Not guilty. So what number is this now? 17? 20? I am starting to lose track.

When the verdict of not guilty was announced for the officer who shot and killed Philando Castile a wave of sadness came over me. I end up falling into my same routine… Googling articles on the case, talking to friends and family, and replaying the information I have gathered on the case in my head over and over again.  Though this process causes my soul to cry, I cannot stop researching.  How and why could a jury believe this officer was not guilty?  Is this really happening again?  I watched the live-streamed video posted by Philando Castile’s girlfriend last year.  Where was the gun on Philando’s lap according to the Blue Lives Matter following? Where was the threat of imminent danger the officer claimed he was in?

This fear of imminent danger officers keep using as their defense has become a tired excuse to mask the officer’s lack of training on how to deescalate confrontational situations and how to deal with their own personal biases against people of color.  As a person who has worn uniform the majority of my life and has always been a rule-follower, I have the utmost respect for authority and authority systems.  However, it is becoming painstakingly clear that the system is not made to benefit or protect people of color.  Even if you comply with the law enforcements’ requests you still are at risk of being killed in cold blood if the officer is fearful for his/her life.  I am Black.  I was raised around Black people, in particular Black men, who love their family and community.  I am a proud daddy’s girl who sees my dad, uncles, and male cousins as nothing more than gentle giants.  I come from a married two-parent household, as do most of my cousins and closest friends. So when I constantly hear this narrative that Black people, in particular Black men, are angry, aggressive and uncontrollable monsters in which deadly force is the only way to subdue them, I scream that’s a lie.  When an officer approaches a situation thinking the person they’re encountering is an adversary, not a human, their minds will play tricks on them.  Suddenly the officer’s biased internal thoughts turn into outward fear and we have yet another death of an unarmed Black person on our hands.

Normally society has a soft spot for women and children. Philando Castile was in the car with his long-time girlfriend and preschool aged daughter.  The fact that the officer shot 7 shots into the car with a child in the backseat; yet didn’t at least get charged with ‘endangering safety by discharging a firearm,’ though the child was in the bullets’ trajectory, is absolutely unbelievable.  This case says to me America’s soft spot doesn’t apply to Black women and children.  This case says that it is ok to kill a significant other and father in front of their loved ones. This case says that the danger a supposedly trained officer feels he is in is of more significance than the danger he is putting the community he is supposed to be serving in.  Overall, when the people who have taken an oath to protect and serve a community cause routine havoc in our lives to the point where Philando Castile’s daughter at the tender age of 4 has to console her mother telling her everything is going to be ok, we are living in scary times.

I fear for the future of my people.  The constant images and videos of Black men and women taking their last breaths is going to have long-lasting effects on Black peoples’ mental status.  Having to go to work/school and function like nothing is wrong and you did not witness another murder has become the norm.

 When you have to engage in the sympathetic conversations after the attacks on Paris occur, or the attack at Ariana Grande’s concert; yet, no classmate/coworker asks if you are okay after another Black person is murdered by law enforcement and their killer walks free, the mental anguish is suffocating.

When the family of a dog shot and killed by police in Maryland can be awarded $1.26 million in wrongful dog death lawsuit, why can’t one officer be held responsible in the death of an unarmed Black person? Are dogs held in higher regard than a Black human? Overall, you start to wonder are we being exterminated as a people?  In my opinion, it feels like we are and unfortunately no one seems to care.