I cried myself to sleep last night thinking about George Floyd. Of course, it feels like a time for celebration but I can’t help feeling the weight of the situation almost more than I ever did before.
I haven’t really planned out anything for this post but I just wanted to sit and write about this, so bear with me if this ends up being an absolute shambles – it’s a huge topic and I couldn’t possibly do right by the Black Lives Matter movement in one blog post, but here are some of my thoughts.
Derek Chauvin was filmed committing a murder in HD video and nearly a year later, we were all on the edge of our seats wondering if there would be a guilty verdict or not. I can’t stop thinking about how insane that is. The system is a terrible one and we owe it not only to George Floyd but to every victim of a similar situation to try and change it. It is absolutely crucial that this is a turning point.
17-year-old Darnella Frazier not only had the mind to record the incident but also the bravery to continue filming despite threats from police officers at the scene. Thank goodness she did, because I honestly can’t imagine that we could have reached a guilty verdict without her. The following image has been circulating on social media, showing the first statement from the Minneapolis Police Department when the incident happened:
Not only does this statement make George Floyd’s murder seem like his own fault, there is a significant failure to record what actually happened. Note the sentence “officers were able to get the suspect into handcuffs and noted he appeared to be suffering medical distress”. There were nine minutes between those two events. The “and” is nine minutes long – it’s hugely misleading. The truth is that this depiction of the event isn’t exactly wrong: yes, no weapons were used and yes, George was in distress after being handcuffed, but if it weren’t for Darnella Frazier, we would have no proof of what happened in between.
John Elder, the Minneapolis Police Department director of public information, wrote the news release without reviewing the police bodycam footage and instead “got his information from sergeants who work in the area where Floyd was killed and from computer-aided dispatch”. Of course, as a result, there is no mention of the fact that an officer pinned down George Floyd using his knee for nine minutes, whilst George lay on his stomach, unarmed and not resisting, begging to be allowed to breathe.
It is purely because of the video that we know what actually preceded George Floyd’s death and it’s horrible to think of how many people’s stories ended very differently because of a lack of such footage. There are so many injustices that happen every day, so many Black lives that have been taken by police violence, and they never even had the chance to get justice because there was no recording. Mobile phones which can record video footage have only existed for around 20 years, but the police have existed in America for around 175. We have to start questioning the real story behind every police-related death, because we were incredibly lucky to have had footage of what actually happened in this case.
I’m honestly not sure if I would have had the presence of mind to do what Darnella Frazier did, so I owe it to her to become better. At 17 years old, to continue filming despite armed officers twice her size threatening her, is an incredibly brave thing to do and something I’m not sure I could have done. It broke my heart when she testified that at nights she stays up “apologising & apologising to George Floyd for not doing more”, because she did more than was ever expected of her and her courage has truly changed the world. Darnella Frazier will carry this event in her mind for the rest of her life and that is a weight I cannot imagine having to bear, but I am incredibly grateful for her actions that day. We are where we are today because of her. I don’t think the aim of the initial police statement was to be dishonest, but it definitely didn’t tell the whole story and we have Darnella to thank for what happened yesterday.
A guilty verdict will never make it okay. A guilty verdict will never make it fair, because George Floyd died at the hands of a man who brutally abused his power and expected to get away with it. But just knowing that people have recognised that what Derek Chauvin did was wrong – that is a small but mighty step in the right direction. We can all let out a little sigh of relief because this is the product of an incredible amount of hard work.
Minutes after the guilty verdict was reported, 16-year-old Ma’khia Bryant was shot dead by police officers in Ohio. She called the police for help, hoping they would protect her, and they killed her. A video later circulated showing police officers at the scene, one yelling “blue lives matter” to a group of residents in the aftermath of the event. No doubt, there are police officers out there who are hugely annoyed about yesterday’s conviction and the killing of Ma’khia Bryant has reinforced how careful people need to be when some police officers are angrier than ever. Chauvin reportedly received 17 complaints against him throughout his career in the police force, only one of which resulted in discipline. The guilty verdict is proof that the police can be held accountable but we have to wonder whether they sacrificed one of their own purely to maintain legitimacy. Ultimately, this isn’t justice, it is purely a consequence and it needs to happen to every other police officer who has committed similar offences.
There are still other Derek Chauvins out there. The killing of Ma’khia Bryant made it impossible for me to sleep peacefully last night, despite the small celebrations felt worldwide just minutes beforehand. There are so many people who have not received the “justice” that George Floyd and his family did. There are so many names we are not saying. Black people have been trying to have this conversation for so long, and they are so exhausted. It is up to everyone to get involved and to do better, because justice isn’t just a guilty verdict, justice is change.
So, when you’re thinking about the fact that “justice has been served”, remember that 7-year-old Gianna Floyd no longer has a father. George Floyd should still be alive. His life mattered, and Black Lives Matter.
(Cover Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash)
Thivya K 