 George FloydLate in the afternoon of April 20th, 2021, Derek Chauvin was ruled guilty on all three charges related to the murder of George Floyd. Second-degree unintentional murder. Third-degree murder. Second-degree manslaughter. Millions across the country had been waiting nervously. Many black and brown people spoke up on social media the night before and warned their white friends and acquaintances not to act surprised when “not guilty” was the end result. Some explained it would simply be too painful to see white people once again acting surprised about a reality they’d been living with all their lives. Fortunately, it went a different way.Yet, what were we really expecting a guilty verdict to bring us? Some spoke of a moment of relief, or a sense of resolution to at least one piece of this very public tragedy. (Chauvin won’t be sentenced for another eight weeks, and the trials for the other three officers involved won’t even begin until end of summer.) Lots of people across the nation clapped, cheered, let out cries of unexpected triumph, or chanted George Floyd’s name when they first heard. However, many also spoke of an almost immediate resurgence of unrest or confusion about how exactly to feel. Justified anger at the fact that this sort of outcome is so rare as to be a surprise rose up. Some even worried that Chauvin’s conviction might be used to distract from the fact that the root of the problem remains entirely unchanged, as if the conviction of one “bad cop” solved anything at all. |
 Ma’Khia BryantThe reality is that George Floyd remains dead, and police violence has not stopped (or even slowed). Reports suggest that over 60 people have died at the hands of police officers in the United States in the last three weeks, and over half of them are Black or of Latin heritage. Nothing has changed in any fundamental way. The same issues of white supremacy, police brutality, and racialized responses from law enforcement agencies across the board remain. In fact, in the same hour that the guilty verdict against Chauvin was read, a Black teenage girl, Ma’Khia Bryant, was shot to death in Ohio by police after she herself called for help.We are thankful that Derek Chauvin was convicted. We hope everyone can somehow get the space they need to process the full range of emotions that this verdict brings. But, we also call upon our communities – particularly those who hold the most power and privilege in its various forms – to recognize that not enough progress will have been made until the systems that lead to such violence and death have been fully addressed. This will require us each to shed our defensiveness and look closely at our own complicity in white supremacy, and to take honest steps to make change. We will need to advocate for alternatives to policing wherever possible and to center the voices of those most deeply impacted as we decide what that will look like, while de-centering those who would benefit most from keeping things the same. And, we will need to move beyond this idea that the problem lies in individuals ‘gone bad,’ and look deeper at the systems that are driving them. Until that time, no justice will truly be served.For more on the Chauvin verdict and related matters:▪Derek Chauvin Found Guilty on All Charges of the Murder of George Floyd, The grio▪Jury Finds Chauvin Guilty of All 3 Counts in the Murder of George Floyd, The Root▪After the Chauvin Verdict, Black Source Media▪The Death of George Floyd Reignited a Movement. What Happens Now?, New York Times▪The Most Powerful Images of Americans Reacting to Derek Chauvin’s Guilty Verdict, Vice▪“Darnella Frazier changed the world”: Teen who filmed George Floyd’s murder praised following Derek Chauvin conviction, CBS News▪A Black Teenage Girl is Shot and Killed by Columbus Police, Slate▪Add Air Fresheners and Expired Tags to the List of Things Black People Can Die Over, Essence |