Derek Chauvin-Guilty

George Floyd is an unintentional martyr. The story we didn’t ask for. The hero we didn’t expect. But the ending we needed.  Derek Chauvin was found guilty today on all charges against him. He was found guilty of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. His sentencing is scheduled for June. 

The guilty verdict levied against former police officer Derek Chauvin is a small win in a large pond, but nevertheless we must rejoice. This is a win for people of color in America who continue to be marginalized, discriminated against, and treated unfairly by the justice system. Nothing George Floyd did on May 25, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota warranted a death sentence. 

The death of George Floyd catapulted the American Justice system into international spotlight. While those with a heart, eyes, and ears can easily argue that the desired outcome of Derek Chauvin’s verdict was successfully achieved. The work has just begun. America on a whole needs to be held accountable for its actions. America must acknowledge years of Intergenerational trauma that affect Black Americans, and is perpetuated daily by systemic racism, poverty, and mass incarceration. Intergenerational trauma is the white elephant at the Christmas party, the gift that no one wants. 

America must atone for its sins. The victory of this verdict must not be left at the feet of George Floyd’s family, but must be carried by us all on our shoulders as a constant reminder that it is possible to hold Police Officers accountable. That it is possible for justice to be served for a Black man intentionally killed by a white Police Officer. That it is possible for a Black man who cried out for his “mama” and who used his last breath to utter the words “ I can’t breathe” can achieve justice. The constant reminders that  heavily armed white men can be taken into custody alive shows that it is possible for a criminal suspect to be arrested without being killed. Armed or unarmed. That it is possible when we as Americans stand together, we are able to expose laws designed to protect white people’s virtue. That it is possible to effectuate social change; demand and obtain justice and transparency in systems created by its founding fathers to maintain white supremacy.

America, the self proclaimed “land of the brave and the home of the free” was stripped naked after the death of George Floyd. Countries around the world saw us naked and it was an ugly sight. The country that so proudly called upon the world to  “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore” was suffocating. Ignoring and criminalizing the poor. Working the tired to death, compensating with unlivable wages; and treating Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) as wretched refuse on their own soil. Locking immigrant children in cages after separating them from their mothers. Incarcerating Black men at an alarming rate leaving Black children fatherless, and Black mothers single. 

Behind the glitz and glamour of America’s facade is an old white man holding on tightly to outdated beliefs, laws, and standards of living. An old white man who believes America belongs to the rich, the white, and those who are capable of buying their status in society. Today the white old man’s hand slipped a little. Today he was forced to look in the mirror.

Today Black people must and will celebrate this win. We must revel in this victory. Today we breathe freely in honor of George Floyd. Tomorrow the work continues, but today there is Joy. 

Justice is a continuum.