BY ADDISALEM MULAT
Following the killing of George Floyd, an African-American man, by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin had broken the hearts of all and sundry worldwide. On the grounds of the cruel act of the officer, people all over the world angrily took to the street to demand justice and racial equality and reform policing.
Apart from testing the democratic level of the United States of America, the death of George Floyd ignited worldwide condemnation and worldwide protests. Tears were rolling down over the cheeks of every Tom, Dick, and Harry for the most part when they watch the video that show the killing of the African American man.
The entire world was looking for the final decision of the jury relating to the death of George Floyd. They were looking forward to seeing the final result of the jury. There have been a lot of speculations regarding what the result would be like down the road.
However, when the long-awaited results became public, the entire world embarked on expressing their innermost happiness in a wide variety of ways. Most of them were feeling on top of the world and over the moon. They did not know what they had to do.
The thing was, the former Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin was found guilty on various counts such as second-degree unintentional murder, third degree murder and second degree manslaughter and second degree man slaughter. While on the subject, owing to the verdict the officer’s bail was revoked and sent to prison.
The brother of George Floyd, Philonise Floyd told CBS This Morning says, “The moment I heard guilty, guilty and guilty, I was excited, I was happy,” he told King in Minneapolis Wednesday. “I got in the courtroom, I started praying. And I prayed for like, 30 minutes, because it took 30 minutes for the judge and the jury to come out.”
The evening of the verdict he told King, “I’ve never been this happy before — in a while. Sleepless nights, thinking about what was going on in that courtroom.”
“All I had in my head was, this is not just for George. This is for everybody around the world, people of color especially,” he said.
After about 10 hours of deliberations, a jury made up of seven women and five men convicted Chauvin of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for kneeling on George Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes.
For the last year, Philonise Floyd and his family were the focus of international attention, after the death of his brother was caught on a video that sparked international outrage and a national movement for Black lives.
“This is a fraternity that I didn’t ask to be in,” Floyd said. “And unfortunately you have a lot of families, they need counseling, they need somebody to get out and speak for them because they may not be able to, because people in a lot of pain.”
And he is taking the fight for justice further. Floyd said his next steps would involve running The Philonise and Keeta Floyd Institute for Social Change in order to hold those in power accountable.
“I’m turning my pain into purpose, to be able to get out and help others all across this world, not just here in Minneapolis, but everywhere in different countries too,” he said.
Former president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama twitted a Minneapolis jury “did the right thing” in convicting former police officer Derek Chauvin of murdering George Floyd.
“True justice requires that we come to terms with the fact that Black Americans are treated differently, every day. It requires us to recognize that millions of our friends, family, and fellow citizens live in fear that their next encounter with law enforcement could be their last. And it requires us to do the sometimes thankless, often difficult, but always necessary work of making the America we know more like the America we believe in.
“While today’s verdict may have been a necessary step on the road to progress, it was far from a sufficient one. We cannot rest. We will need to follow through with the concrete reforms that will reduce and ultimately eliminate racial bias in our criminal justice system. We will need to redouble efforts to expand economic opportunity for those communities that have been too long marginalized.”
Vice President Kamala Harris said, “First I want to thank the jury for their service and I want to thank Mr. Floyd’s family for your steadfastness. Today, we feel a sigh of relief. Still, it cannot take away the pain. A measure of justice isn’t the same as equal justice. This verdict brings us a step closer, and the fact is we still have work to do.
We still must reform the system. Last summer, together with Senator Cory Booker and Representative Karen Bass, I introduced the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. This bill would hold law enforcement accountable and help build trust between law enforcement and our communities. This bill is part of George Floyd’s legacy. The president and I will continue to urge the Senate to pass this legislation, not as a panacea for every problem but as a start. This work is long overdue.
America has a long history of systemic racism. Black Americans and Black men in particular have been treated throughout the course of our history as less than human. Black men are fathers and brothers and sons and uncles and grandfathers and friends and neighbors. Their lives must be valued in our education system, in our health care system, in our housing system, in our economic system, in our criminal justice system, in our nation.
Because of smartphones, so many Americans have now seen the racial injustice that Black Americans have known for generations. The racial injustice that we have fought for generations. That my parents protested in the 1960s. That millions of us, Americans of every race, protested last summer.
Here’s the truth about racial injustice: It is not just a Black America problem or a people-of-color problem. It is a problem for every American. It is keeping us from fulfilling the promise of liberty and justice for all. And it is holding our nation back from realizing our full potential. We are all a part of George Floyd’s legacy. And our job now is to honor it and to honor him. Thank you.
On his part President Biden said, “Today, a jury in Minnesota found former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all counts in the murder of George Floyd last May. It was a murder in the full light of day, and it ripped the blinders off for the whole world to see the systemic racism the vice president just referred to. The systemic racism is a stain on our nation’s soul. The knee on the neck of justice for Black Americans. Profound fear and trauma. The pain, the exhaustion that Black and brown Americans experience every single day.
The murder of George Floyd launched a summer of protests we hadn’t seen since the civil rights era in the ’60s. Protests that unified people of every race and generation in peace and with purpose to say enough. Enough. Enough of the senseless killings. Today–today’s verdict is a step forward. I just spoke with the governor of Minnesota, who thanked me for the close work with his team, he added.
And I also spoke with George Floyd’s family again. Remarkable family of extraordinary courage. Nothing can ever bring their brother, their father back. But this can be a giant step forward in the march toward justice in America. Let’s also be clear that such a verdict is also much too rare. For so many people it seems like it took a unique and extraordinary convergence of factors.
A brave young woman with a smartphone camera, a crowd that was traumatized. Traumatized witnesses, a murder that lasts almost 10 minutes in broad daylight for ultimately the whole world to see. Officers standing up and testifying against a fellow officer instead of just closing ranks, which should be commended. A jury who heard the evidence, carried out their civic duty in the midst of an extraordinary moment under extraordinary pressure.
For so many, it feels like it took all of that for the judicial system to deliver a just—just basic accountability. We saw how traumatic and exhausting just watching the trial was for so many people. Think about it, those of you who are listening. Think about how traumatic it was for you. You weren’t there, you didn’t know any of the people. But it was difficult. Especially for the witnesses who had to relive that day. It’s a trauma on top of the fear so many people of color live with every day, when they go to sleep at night and pray for the safety of themselves and their loved ones.
“We must not turn away. We can’t turn away. We have a chance to begin to change the trajectory in this country. It’s my hope and prayer that we live up to the legacy. May God bless you and may God bless George Floyd and his family
The Ethiopian Herald 23 April 2021
