A Sigh of Relief, But Not a Breath of Fresh Air
It’s 4:30 pm. The sun is shining and I just ate my dinner. But, on this seemingly peaceful spring evening, I can’t help but feel a pang of anxiety. According to CBS News, the Minnesota Judicial Court was moments away from announcing the verdict of the Derek Chauvin trial; the man who mercilessly murdered George Floyd, an African American man accused of trying to pay for something with a counterfeit $20 bill, by kneeling on his neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds.
Leading up to this moment, to be quite frank, I felt nothing at all. Not that I’m an emotionless robot or amoeba. But, if history were going to repeat itself, the jurors in Minnesota were going to pull a “To Kill A Mockingbird” and Derek Chauvin was going to get off and get out of this entire situation unscathed. So, in other words, I was preparing for the worst. However, for once, America proved me wrong in a good way.
Guilty on the account of second-degree murder. Guilty on the account of third-degree murder. And guilty on the account of second-degree manslaughter.
A white man, guilty on all accounts for the murder of a black man? I thought the day would never come. I wish that my late grandparents could have lived long enough to see the day that a system and society that they fought so hard against worked in their favor. Although seeing Derek Chauvin get handcuffed was a wonderful sight, it still doesn’t neglect the fact that they are still so many African Americans who have died at the hands of police who have not received what George Floyd’s family received today. America cannot look at this one instance and say, “America is restored! Systemic racism doesn’t exist! America is officially colorblind!” To those people, I say the names of Breonna Taylor, Tamir Rice, Philando Castile, and Sandra Bland. Who’re killers walk roam the local Starbucks, go to Parent School Board meetings at their kid's schools, and go home to their loved ones every night while Breonna, Tamir, Philando, and Sandra lay 6 feet under. While this verdict is a step forward, the reality is, it doesn’t bring George Floyd back. So, until some major change happens, I’m still with NWA on this one: FUCK THE POLICE.
However, in the end, the question is: how do you dismantle and even create a system where justice can truly be served without burying someone as the sacrifice?