Derek Chauvin verdict is in… and the jury has found him GUILTY of all charges of murdering George Floyd!
The world has reacted to this case from the beginning, expressing outrage and disgust at the video footage we presume everyone has seen…
We want to share the commentary of those in the African American community. Their responses are mixed as we have seen a history of disappointment with the law and police brutality. For people of color (especially Black people) it has been very disappointing as justice has not been fully served. We have seen cases where charges were acquitted, and if prosecutors do proceed, they do not prosecute to the maximum since the defendants are police officers. In those rare chances, there is a prosecution, the sentencing is very light- to say the least.
TL Robinson, Founder & CEO of THE U.P. reminds us, “Remember Rodney King? There have been so many deaths since then… more deaths since George Floyd.” She explains deep roots, “The issue of racism (whether direct or covert) is systemic in the legal system because it is foundational to the world culture.” The Derek Chauvin verdict seemed to finally break the stronghold of police brutality protection. Does this send a message to other police officers? Robinson says, “Messages to ‘good’ and ‘bad’ cops won’t be created nor received until the perception and value of black and brown people is improved.”
Hip Hop activist, music artist, and best-selling author of ‘Hip Hop Hooray: Celebrating 30 Years of Rap Music’ Sean XLG Mitchell, offered us a pessimistic point of view based on past history. When asked does he think Derek Chauvin will be found guilty on all charges he remarked, “Absolutely not.” Mitchell elaborates, “I believe he should be but history teaches us that African Americans typically don’t see justice when crimes are committed against us. We are marginalized and undervalued throughout society so our expectations are limited.” All is not perceived as negative as Sean adds, “I believe movements like Black Lives Matter has raised the issue of injustice to the point that the whole world is watching to see what happens and this type of pressure may tilt the scales of justice for a fair and impartial verdict which should be guilty on all charges.”
Dr. Kimya Nuru Dennis is an African-Black woman sociologist and criminologist with a criminal justice specialization that includes police abuse of power. Dr. Dennis is also the founder of 365 Diversity. She shares her hesitation of trust in a full-guilt verdict stating, “No, I do not think Chauvin will be convicted on all counts. The case was presented as The George Floyd case and Floyd was labeled a ‘criminal’ and ‘uncontrollable addict’ throughout the trial.” She explains, “It is also too common for juries to be pressured to give police the benefit of the doubt based on more than a century of the white power and anti-Black falsehood that police are merely doing their well-trained jobs and cannot control whether people die at the hands of police.”
Will a guilty verdict really render justice? TL Robinson offers, “I do believe that Derek Chauvin will be found guilty and convicted of some of the counts of which he is accused. But, I don’t perceive this as a ‘genuine’ conviction… it’s more performative. Overall justice will not be served. Putting Derek Chauvin behind bars is not enough.” She details her sentiment, “It will just be a means to soothe the ongoing pain and perpetual trauma of witnessing the murder of black and brown people at the hands of the police. If this case, the events leading up to it, and the visceral responses of millions of people around the globe haven’t influenced or enforced needed change, then Derek Chauvin being convicted won’t do it either.”
What message does this guilty verdict send to good cops and bad cops? Dr. Kimya says, “There is no such thing as a good cop.” Explaining, “Well-intentioned and good people who become police officers do not remain on the job long if they challenge the abusive policies and behaviors of police officers in their department of employment and in other police departments. Therefore, if Chauvin is convicted, it will mean nothing to police departments and nothing to individual police officers. Police departments are not controlled financially and are not controlled in actions. Police departments and individual police officers are aware of their abuse of power, over presence, and overfunding that has targeted African-Black people, Indigenous people, non-white Hispanic and non-white Latinx/a/o people for more than a century. This includes when police departments tokenize and hire African-Black people, Indigenous people, non-white Hispanics, and non-white Latinx/a/o people to be compliant and complacent police officers.”
What are your thoughts and feelings on the Derek Chauvin verdict? Do you feel justice was served? Do you think a conviction will send a message to “bad cops”? What message will a conviction send to “good cops”? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
