In Memory of George Floyd

A few weeks ago, I had the occasion to reflect on the Derek Chauvin verdict and share my thoughts with colleagues. Here is what I said:

From my perspective as a lawyer and a layperson, this was not a close case. We saw what we saw; our eyes did not lie.

Yet, I will admit that, when I heard the verdict, I fell to my knees, let out a small whelp of relief and shed a few tears.

This was not a close case but it felt like one. It speaks volumes about our criminal legal system and our country that we were all on pins and needles awaiting the verdict to be announced.

It was not a close case but, with a Black victim and a white police officer defendant, prosecutors had to prepare for it like it was. We’ve been here before. So, we know how it could have turned out, how it most often turns out.

Before the verdict, I heard a few people say that whatever the verdict, it really didn’t matter because the protests and movement for Black lives are well under way. Even as I acknowledge that they were probably just preparing themselves for disappointment, I beg to differ. This verdict does matter. Especially for George Floyd’s family. It was hard fought and uncertain. And even if just for a moment, we got to experience what accountability looks like, if not true justice.

Of course, white supremacy proved, as always, that it is not going down without a fight. Before we could fully exhale from nearly a year’s pent-up anxiety awaiting the Chauvin verdict, we learn that 16-year-old Makiyah Bryant was shot and killed by police in Ohio. No rest for the weary. Not even 24 hours respite. The arc of the moral universe is long, and it is not linear.

After the verdict, my cousin, Chris, said, “What a shame that it had to be so egregious in order to get a guilty verdict.” True. It took an unforgettable, unmistakable and depraved murder captured on video, a global protest movement and public officials in Minnesota, like Attorney General Ellison, who were willing to hold Officer Chauvin accountable to achieve this guilty verdict.

It took a lot, far more than it should have . . . for one Black life to matter . . . after the fact. That’s not good enough. We need Black Lives plural to matter. Every day. Without the egregious loss of life. Without the cellphone footage and trauma of a 17-year-old child who has forever lost her innocence. Darnella Frazier, you are a hero. I hope you can finally find peace. Black lives also should matter without global protests during a deadly pandemic. We need Black lives to matter just because. Just because we are human.

Thank you, George Floyd. Your death will not be in vain. Now, it is up to us to make this a movement and not just a moment.

#GeorgeFloyd #BlackLivesMatter #SayHisName #MakiyahBryant #DarnellaFrazier