Credit: Kadir Nelson
On April 20th, the police officer who took the life of George Floyd was found guilty by a US jury on three charges: second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and manslaughter. The sentencing of Derek Chauvin will occur in eight weeks’ time and he will be held without bail until then.
Whilst we hope that the verdict of this trial offers at least some sort of relief to the family and friends of George Floyd, this verdict is not a victory – a victory could only be one without the death of George Floyd.
In truth, the sentencing of a cop for murdering an African American man making international news only highlights just how uncommon it is that the perpetrators of racially motivated heinous hate crimes and murders are so rarely brought to justice.
Law enforcement, which is supposed to offer a sense of safety and security to all of us, has frequently been capable of and easily allowed to get away with horrific incidents of brutality, only to be justified by the excuse of criminal behaviour on the victim’s part. Unfortunately, it comes as no shock that the deaths and attacks carried out by ‘law enforcers’ are directed at plenty of innocent civilians, but a question we should really be turning our focus to is; why is any physical violence needed in the case of a police investigation/arrest. When the murderer responsible for the six fatal shootings of Asian women in Atlanta last month was arrested without gunfire or attack, and excused by the Police Captain of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s department as having had ‘a bad day’, it’s no longer (and hasn’t been for some time) up for debate that the handling of arrests or even simple check-ins require guns or use of excessive force.
Whilst some celebrated the verdict of yesterday’s trial and hoped for this to be the beginning of a vast improvement in policing laws, in another state, Ma’Khia Bryant, a sixteen-year-old black girl was shot dead by police and became yet another victim of a heinous police brutality crime.
At age sixteen, Ma’Khia called the police in fear after an attempted stabbing had been made. Instead of the safety she sought in phoning the police, the officers which attended the scene callously took her life.
There is no question that the death of George Floyd caused global outrage and sparked protests and demonstrations worldwide, bringing a huge amount of attention to the Black Lives Matter movement, but George Floyd is and was not a martyr; he did not sacrifice his life, he didn’t die for a cause, he was unlawfully murdered and stripped of his life. He didn’t need or have to die; it was not a choice.
Whilst some may celebrate the beginning of change following the verdict of yesterday’s trial, if anything, this so clearly highlights how far we have yet to go. In the UK, more of the corruption at play in our government has been exposed following the recent handling of the recent Race Report which so casually rewrote history, dismissed white supremacy, and denied that Britain had an issue with racism. Under scrutiny from the United Nations who rejected the report, they shared;
‘It is stunning to read a report on race and ethnicity that repackages racist tropes and stereotypes into fact, twisting data and misapplying statistics and studies into conclusory findings and ad hominem attacks on people of African descent.’
An in-depth look into the dishonest report that No. 10 produced can be viewed here.
With inherently racist countries built on the backs of slavery, colonisation, and colonialism declaring their innocence in matters of racism and racially fuelled murders taking place in one state whist the sentencing of a racist cop takes place in another, it is obvious that this is hardly even the beginning of an effort to demand systemic reprioritisation and make a huge individual and internal revolutionary change in order to achieve justice for all.
It is simply not enough to demand accountability; justice and equity for victims of this systemic racism are sorely needed.
‘Black LIFE Matters. As in Black health, Black wealth, Black success, Black joy, Black breath, Black love, Black anger, Black laughter, Black creativity, Black abundance, Black peace, Black ease, Black well-being, Black self-expression, Black community, Black culture, Black safety, Black protection, Black leadership, Black history, Black self-determination, Black self-definition, Black individuality, Black truth-telling, Black humanity, Black existence.’
– Layla F. Saad
Books/Resources to help:
Me and White Supremacy: How to Recognise Your Privilege, Combat Racism, and Change the World – by Layla Saad
Do Better (Spiritual Activism for Fighting and Healing from White Supremacy – by Rachel Ricketts
Spiritual Activism Webinars: https://www.rachelricketts.com/online-courses
Words By Megan Selway
