Guilty, yes, but it’s only the start

A crowd gathered at George Floyd Square after the verdict.

Hennepin County jurors today found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of second-degree murder in the death of George Floyd, along with two lesser counts.

It was the first time in state history that a white police officer was held accountable for killing a Black man, according the Minnesota ACLU.

In their closing arguments, prosecutors stressed to the jury that Chauvin’s trial was a pro-police prosecution, not an anti-police prosecution. They knew that some jurors had a favorable opinion of police and didn’t want to lose any a vote by suggesting this was an indictment of the police in general.

Yet this moment calls for an overhaul of our system of public safety. The push will come from many organizations and from across the city, including those people currently occupying George Floyd Square.

Another case of white supremacy policing, Maryland repeals ‘Police Bill of Rights,’ and a look at ‘excited delirium’

Screen grab for body-worn video camera

As the Derek Chauvin trial begins its third week, as Maryland’s legislature passes a law to address police abuses, the latest example of excessive force by police against a person of color has emerged in a lawsuit filed against cops in Windsor, Va.

On Dec. 5, police officers pulled over U.S. Army officer Caron Nazario, drawing their guns and shouting at him to get out of his car, ABC News reported.

Nazario, who is black and Latino, tells them he’s afraid to get out of his car.

The officer responds angrily: “You should be.”

Updates on the Chauvin trial, Line 3

Image shown on the livestream while court is in recess.

Jury selection for Derek Chauvin’s murder trial got delayed at least a day, as procedural issues were sent to the Minnesota Court of Appeals. Jury selection could start as early as tomorrow.

Here’s the link to watch a livestream of court proceedings.

Today, the court proceedings included several long recess periods. During those down times, the livestream focused on the image of the Minnesota State Seal in the courtroom.

It seemed like a poor choice.

The backdrop of Chauvin’s trial is racial injustice: The murder of George Floyd, another in a string of black man killed by police. The State Seal is a symbol of racial injustice, too. It shows a Native American man on horseback riding west, displaced from his ancestral lands by newly arriving white settlers. To be blunt, it’s an image of Manifest Destiny and white supremacy which state leaders have failed to change.

They should pick a different image to feature during recess.

As Derek Chauvin trial looms, city plans to reopen George Floyd Square, Walz readies National Guard, residents organize events

File: George Floyd memorial at East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue.

The City of Minneapolis plans to reopen George Floyd Square at 38th & Chicago, which community members have shut down since police killed Floyd at the intersection on May 25. The reopening won’t happen until after a verdict is rendered on former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, who is going on trial March 8 for second-degree murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death.

Chauvin will be tried separately from three other former Minneapolis police officers charged in aiding and abetting in Floyd’s death. The Minnesota Court of Appeals today rejected an appeal by prosecutors to delay the trial until later this summer and to try all four defendants together, the Star Tribune reported.

Gov. Tim Walz agreed to deploy the Minnesota National Guard to quell any unrest that might follow the trial, MPR reports. The mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul had sought the help.

Meanwhile, various groups are planning educational events and prayer vigils around the trial.

Charges brought in George Floyd’s murder, greater work remains around systemic racism, police reforms

Officer Derek Chauvin remained kneeling on Floyd’s neck even after another officer said he couldn’t find Floyd’s pulse.

Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in George Floyd’s death, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced today at a press conference. He expected to bring charges against the other three police officers at the scene who failed to intervene, but those cases are still under review, he said.

People not only want justice for Floyd but they want and deserve systemic change, both to address the underlying problems of structural racism and the long-standing problems at the Minneapolis Police Department that Floyd’s case represents. That work requires that we speak clearly and directly to explain the causes and conditions that led to Floyd’s murder.