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I am relieved that #DerekChauvin was convicted today for murdering George Floyd. I breathe in this rare moment when the public recognized the value of a Black man's life and held an officer accountable for taking it. I am, as always, hopeful. And yet...
I am concerned about the political naïvete in some of the public commentary about the #DerekChauvinTrial. Some well-meaning and excited folks are saying things like, "This sends a message to police departments that they have to respect Black lives."
But... does it?
But... does it?
Think about how extreme #DerekChauvin's actions had to be to elicit this outcome.
Observe that the prosecutor made clear that the case was *only* about the 9 minutes and 29 seconds that Chauvin knelt on George Floyd's neck.
Observe that the prosecutor made clear that the case was *only* about the 9 minutes and 29 seconds that Chauvin knelt on George Floyd's neck.
#DerekChauvin's conviction was not about the extreme and harsh police response over $20.
#DerekChauvin's conviction was not about the gun that the initial responding officer pulled on George Floyd when he was still inside his vehicle, terrifying him.
#DerekChauvin's conviction was not about the officers' utter disregard for George Floyd's safety and mental health when he was having an anxiety reaction as they tried to force him into the police vehicle.
#DerekChauvin's conviction was not even about the community members in Minneapolis who saw and were traumatized by his barbarous murder of George Floyd.
Those aspects *might* matter at sentencing, but they are not what produced this conviction.
Those aspects *might* matter at sentencing, but they are not what produced this conviction.
#DerekChauvin's conviction is only about those visibly brutal 9 minutes and 29 seconds.
Most police violence against Black people is neither that visible nor so obviously, aesthetically brutal.
Most police violence against Black people is neither that visible nor so obviously, aesthetically brutal.
Most of the incidents that foster legal estrangement in Black communities are akin to the injustices that *preceded* that particular harrowing moment.
Indeed, the prosecutor went to great lengths in his closing to *distinguish* between Chauvin's killing of George Floyd and "policing." "That was not policing," the prosecutor repeatedly stated.
Yes, I hope police departments take away from #DerekChauvin's conviction that officers cannot assault people with impunity. But without sustained movement action alongside federal legislation, the likely lasting impact is more of the same. The pressure has to continue.
This necessary accountability of #DerekChauvin should not distract from the deeper and *more* necessary project of institutional change and societal transformation.
So, I'm relieved and sending love to George Floyd's family and to all affected. But I'm not naïve. And people who have been laboring against police violence and for racial justice for years aren't either.
As the old song says, "keep [our] eyes on the prize."
As the old song says, "keep [our] eyes on the prize."
