April 20, 2021

The jury has returned a verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who was charged in the death of George Perry Floyd, Jr.

Guilty.

Guilty.

Guilty.

Guilty of unintentional second degree murder. Guilty of third degree murder. Guilty of manslaughter. My thoughts are with the Floyd family. I know nothing will ever bring their loved one back, but I hope they can begin to heal some of the immense hurt they have been enduring for almost a year now. I'm talking about the specific hurt of losing George. There's still a long way to go before the pain from all the years and generations can even begin to be addressed.

I have to be honest: I wasn't entirely convinced he would be convicted. This is not because I believe Chauvin is in any way innocent. I saw the video, and it showed a man being murdered. My hesitation comes from history. Too often, police are given the benefit of the doubt, which leaves their accusers hanging out to dry. This can leave the impression police are above the law leading to feelings of mistrust and despair from those seeking to lawfully address their grievances.

Time and again, minority communities have been denied justice. Today, they finally get a taste of what has so long been denied. I hope this was a beginning of fairness, of putting every human being regardless of status, wealth, gender, race, or ethnicity on equal footing in the eyes of the law the way they are supposed to have been all along.

Gianna, baby, you were right: your daddy changed the world. I'm just sorry that it took a brutal loss of life to do it.