On all charges.
Were you watching?
In a Minneapolis, Minnesota courtroom, former cop Derek Chauvin was convicted of all charges relating to the murder of George Floyd.
Even better, his bail was revoked and he’ll be in custody for eight weeks until the sentencing hearing. Did anybody but me notice how his little eyes were darting back and forth above his mask? Such arrogance. It seemed as if he really thought he was going to be acquitted. NOPE.
Thousands of others have written with more eloquence than I’m capable of about this trial, so I’m only going to share my observations and my own opinions.
Justice did NOT prevail. Accountability prevailed. Justice would have George Floyd alive and breathing after he was arrested for ALLEGEDLY paying with a counterfeit twenty dollar bill. Chauvin got a trial, but George did not. Bad cops made sure he didn’t have a chance.
It’s simple. Police cannot be judge, jury, and executioners, but they were in this situation. All four of them. They are ALL guilty, in my opinion.
The only reason there was ANY accountability at all was because a teenager named Darnella Frazier had the brains and courage to use her phone to record the nine minutes and twenty-nine seconds it took for Derek Chauvin to murder George Floyd. She continued recording despite threats from the cops on the scene.
I hope we can all be as brave as she was–don’t walk away, don’t pretend police brutality isn’t happening. Take out your cell phone and memorialize the abuse. Darnella Frazier is an inspiration to BE better and DO better.
A friend shared this link with me: ACLU Mobile Justice...https://www.aclu.org/issues/criminal-law-reform/reforming-police/mobile-justice?fbclid=IwAR3Gbc9lQGZGBGu-lEpmrz6H4zOTLTaB4Aev59wzciakM0eGjAO_9e4pNGQ
What is even more frightening is a report I read somewhere (can’t remember to cite the article so I’ll paraphrase) about the recruiting of white supremacists and paramilitary types to our police forces and military. There has been investigation and speculation that white supremacists and militias have infiltrated police across the country.
Law enforcement failed to respond to far-right domestic terror threats and racist militant activities in more than a dozen states since 2000. Police officers have been caught posting racist and bigoted social media content.
Police links to militias and white supremacist groups have been uncovered in states including Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia.
If we have any doubt that there is systemic racism in this country, we need look no further than active police officers training the Oath Keepers for a possible Civil War.
I found one of the most moving statements about the trial and guilty verdict from my friend, Vice-President Al Gore. (https://enchantedseashells.com/2015/11/04/i-met-vice-president-al-gore-at-the-apple-store/)
Statement by Former Vice President Gore on the Chauvin Verdict
April 20, 2021 by Al Gore
Nearly a year after America rose up in horror and anger at the tragic murder of George Floyd and cried out in opposition to generations of systemic racism, a jury in Minneapolis delivered a long-awaited first step toward accountability. While we know that true justice would mean that George Floyd was with us today, living free of fear of racism and police violence, I’m glad that we can at least say that with this verdict, the arc of the moral universe bent ever so slightly further toward justice.
The American legal system should be a beacon of accountability around the globe, and I’m glad that with the eyes of the world upon us, it lived up to that promise in this case. But at the same time, I’m all too aware that this same accountability and justice has never come for countless Black, brown, and Indigenous women and men in America.
I hope that this moment is a turning point for the real action and reform desperately needed to ensure our country can live up to its most sacred promise: that all men and women are created equal. While we unequivocally declare the truth that Black Lives Matter, it is long past time for the meaningful changes needed to allow Black Americans an opportunity to thrive.
My thoughts tonight are with George Floyd’s family and friends as they continue to grieve his loss and work toward lasting change.
A vigil for George Floyd is planned for Sunday evening at a park in my little town. I probably won’t attend because I’m still wary of public gatherings. If I change my mind, I’ll post photos.
Honestly, I’m tired. The question of race in this nation is very complicated and not a one-way street, but by saying that I’ll be branded a racist. But, I’ve said it. The most important thing about the verdict for me is that violent demonstrations that would have happened didn’t. Second? The police should not judge a perpetrator. It’s not their job. That there seems to have been a personal vendetta between these two men makes this worse; it brings the systemic racism component to a head. That that cop seems to have believed he could kill this black man, expunging his own personal rage, and get away with it is the most sickening thing of all (to me). The young woman who had the courage to record what happened is a hero, and not a token hero, but a legit hero. As for me? I’m white but the best friendships of my life have not been with other “white” people (whatever that means) but with Hispanic people. I am sick to death of this whole issue, actually of this whole country. I don’t want to live here any more. I stopped wanting to live her when I watched the video of the white woman and her dog in Central Park who called the cops on a black man who had done nothing to her, was not going to to do anything to her, a white woman who was absolutely convinced that the cops would come to her rescue. That was it for me.
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This is such a complicated issue. My friend and I talked for hours about it today-she’s from the south (escaped she said) and has a lot of insight about systemic racism and how we got to this point. I’m just tired of all the hate and people treating each other poorly. Where else would you go? Is there anywhere on this earth where people are kind and don’t want to hurt each other? I’d like to go there too.
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I was thinking of southern Italy but it’s a pipe dream. I actually live in a place where people are kind and don’t want to hurt each other, but this last election changed that. I’m hoping that everyone goes back to normal. And yeah; the race thing is a mind bender from hell. ❤
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Totally agree with you. My community is OK but if you scratch the surface, this SoCal town is FULL of racism and white supremacists and antisemites and disgusting Trump banners.
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😦
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I have only been peripherally been paying attention to the trial, but am glad of the verdict. What stands out the most for me is that our policing organizations, much like other organizations and institutions in our country truly include the variety of personalities and values you’ll find in many institutions. Are there standards that are attempted to be upheld? Absolutely. But there’s an element that’s attracted to policing who should never hold that job. People who derive a sense of self-empowerment by controlling other people and feeling superior when they’re an asshole to those who look different shouldn’t be in law enforcement. It might work for special forces in the military, but not when they have to interact with the public in general. We all need more awareness.
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This is a huge problem, like a sickness I think. I thought things were getting better, but I was wrong. I don’t have any answers, but I do agree there should be huge police recruiting reform.
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Not only recruiting but periodic reviews. Years ago when I participated on an online bulletin board, one of the gal’s husband was a grade malignant narcissist police officer. An absolute nightmare.
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Sheesh. Agreed. A complete overhaul reform. Not necessarily defund but reform the system.
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Over 400 years in America and the police have not done right by the black community and America has never acknowledged Slavery and this pandemic has been allowed far to long, there a million more George Floyd’s that no justice ever happened for in this country, this is a very small step to bettering a far bigger issue in this country
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Well said. It’s a shameful part of US history and it just seems to be getting worse. Thank you for visiting my blog!
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