A week ago today our bated breath was unanimously released in a communal exhale when Judge Peter A. Cahill read aloud the verdict reached by the jury of 12 in the trial of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd.
“We, the Jury, in the above entitled matter as to count one, Unintentional Second Degree Murder While Committing a Felony, find the defendant Guilty.
We, the Jury, in the above entitled matter as to Count Two, Third Degree Murder Perpetrating an Eminently Dangerous Act, find the defendant Guilty.
We, the Jury, in the above entitled matter as to Count Three, Second Degree Manslaughter, Culpable Negligence Creating an Unreasonable Risk, find the defendant Guilty.”
I was stood with my husband in our son’s bedroom, changing his diaper, as we watched the courtroom announcement play out from my small, phone screen. Relief and some sense of justice met us in that moment, but along with it was also sadness, knowing that as historic as this verdict was, it also didn’t suddenly make everything right.
An Instagram Live came to mind that I had watched recently with Austin Channing Brown, the author of ‘I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness’. In it she referenced how her book, which was first released in May 2018, had hit the New York Best Sellers list in the weeks following George Floyd’s death, June 2020. She talked about the juxtaposition with which she found herself in - on the one hand wanting to celebrate a huge moment in her career, but on the other knowing that this was inextricably linked to the horrific murder of a black man, and ultimately the deep pain and trauma being experienced yet again by her community. A two-sided coin of success and grief.
In the hours and days following the verdict, responses of, ‘this is not justice; this is accountability’, flooded social media platforms, blogs, news outlets and public statements. The very fact that relief was one of the first responses to the word ‘guilty’ is testament to how rare that verdict has been in US history in cases of police brutality such as this one. Questions have abounded as to whether such a result would have occurred if the video showing the killing of George Floyd hadn’t gone viral, sending an outraged world out of quarantine and into the streets, demanding justice. These questions then point to the bigger, deeper issue we face: the systems with which everything runs on and that are woven together in a broken fashion by the thread of white supremacy.
My mind runs to the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his 1967 book, ‘Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?’
“In the days ahead we must not consider it unpatriotic to raise certain basic questions about our national character.”
By some, these big, hard questions sound like rebellion, unpatriotism, or even hatred. I think however they are simply the questions that need to be asked, answered, and acted upon in order for us to truly become the United States of America that we so proudly profess to be. The violence which took place on the intersection of East 38th St and Chicago Ave in Powderhorn Park, Minneapolis was not a one-off event. It is tied to the murders of Ma’kiah Bryant, Daunte Wright, Adam Taylor, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Philando Castille, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, and the list goes endlessly on…. It is tied not by individuals but by systems, by a culture, and by a continual abuse of power leaving one people group as the primary victims.
So, as MLK so perfectly said, where do we go from here?!
Firstly, if you haven’t already read this book, I would start there.
For some reading this, you have already been fighting for a long, long time, maybe your whole life. You are tired and your heart is aching because these names and faces that I have referred to here could well have been a member of your family; they could have been you. I am sorry and my heart grieves with you. Please, if you are able, take a moment to rest, find some space to breathe, let yourself be poured back into in some way. Your body, mind, heart and spirit are worthy of these things. And I know this fight is far from over, but what did occur last week is worthy of a celebration. If I may share another quote from MLK, and the same book, which I was reminded of this week:
“A final victory is an accumulation of many short-term encounters. To lightly dismiss a success because it does not usher in a complete order of justice is to fail to comprehend the process of full victory. It underestimates the value of confrontation and dissolves the confidence born of partial victory by which new efforts are powered.”
The guilty verdict for Derek Chauvin was partial victory, the beginning of accountability, and a slice of justice for George Floyd’s family. It is a stepping stone of hope for us to place our feet onto. And so for those of us who haven’t inherited the trauma of racism from the generations gone before us, or have had to have ‘the talk’ about what to do when pulled over by the police, we have strength, and energy, and capacity that our brothers and sisters need. We have shoulders that can be leant on, voices which can speak up and intervene, money that can be invested, time which can be given, trust and belief that can be extended when the next deadly encounter with the police occurs. We are rich with resources, and as ones who have not suffered, we have a duty to find a way to bring healing.
Here are some resources to invest in for getting further equipped, deepening your understanding, and becoming a greater advocate for justice and accountability in all of our communities:
