George Floyd: The Verdict
This isn’t justice, you’d be a fool for mistaking it as such.
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When I woke up on Wednesday 21st April 2021, the morning after the verdict of the George Floyd trial was announced, and I read the news I’d long been dreading that was tying knots in my stomach, I sat there and I cried. I cried because whatever the outcome of the trial, a man's life was needlessly lost. I cried tears of relief, for fear of what may have happened if the verdict had gone the other way, and all of the societal unrest that would’ve followed. I cried because I can’t imagine the pain and suffering that George Floyd’s family are going through, what hundreds of Black families have to go through, knowing whatever the verdict, nothing could bring their loved ones back. As I sat there and weeped, I wondered what it was going to take to see real justice in a world that weaponises the colour of your skin, that demonises you simply for existing?
At the start of the pandemic last year, George Floyds death sparked nationwide protests and outrage in America, and the pain felt rippled across the globe. It’s been over a year since the murder occurred and in that time we’ve had to relive the trauma felt on an unimaginable scale, and mourn the life of a man who’s death was witnessed by millions. It’s been more than a year of grieving a tragedy thats become commonplace in Black communities, tragedies that have become all too familiar to those affected. When it came time to go to trial for this atrocity, I was scared that the broken systems in place would once again let down people who look like me.
This week a verdict was finally reached, thankfully it was the right one. Derek Chauvin has been found guilty on all three charges of second-degree unintentional murder, second-degree manslaughter, and third-degree murder. While this may be the verdict we hoped for, we'd be wrong to mistake this for justice being served, this is merely accountability. Justice is far more than a verdict in a single trial. Justice would be a world where Black communities don’t have to live in fear of being killed by the police, justice would be George Floyd being alive today.
“This case is exactly what you thought when you saw it first, when you saw that video. It’s what you felt in your gut. It’s what you know now in your heart,” prosecutor Steven Schleicher told the jury during his closing statement. “This wasn't policing. This was murder.”
Less than two weeks ago, 20-year-old Daunte Wright was fatally shot by American police officer Kimberly Potter, approximately 10 miles from where Chauvin was on trial for the killing of George Floyd. On the day that Chauvin was found guilty, 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant was shot and killed by a police officer in Columbus, Ohio, after she herself called the police for help. I could reel off a never-ending list of names of Black lives lost at the hands of police in the last few years, of all the justice that's gone unserved, of all of these brutal instances of crime that have been brushed under the carpet. But what good would that do when nothing seems to change? How many Black lives lost will it take for the world to wake up to what's going on?
Alarm bells have been ringing for decades, but the rise in Black deaths due to structural and societal racism isn’t new news to those who’ve been fighting these oppressive systems and putting in the work for all of these years. Nothing will bring back Ahmaud Aubrey, Sandra Bland, Breonna Taylor, Philando Castile, Alton Sterling, Eric Garner, and the hundreds of other Black lives lost to police brutality. This isn’t a time to celebrate and feel joy over this one single verdict, this is a time to recognise that so much more needs to be done. Within the journey of justice, this verdict is a crucial step towards accountability, that’ll hopefully spark wider change.
The weight of all of this is so heavy, I feel it to my very core. I feel for friends and family who live in the United States, who don’t know if their next encounter with law enforcement will be their last. I feel for when I have children of my own, knowing that as a mixed race woman of Black heritage my kids will by nature be Black, I worry about what lives they’ll lead and what their futures will look like because of the colour of their skin. Will they have to call me when they get pulled over, scared that it’ll be the last time we ever get to speak? Will I have to listen to the desperate pleas of my child down the phone as they take their last breath?
I hope for a world where things will be different, where Black folk are no longer physically, mentally, and emotionally scarred by the abuse they suffer simply for existing. I hope that broken systems will change, and I hope for a world where communities of colour can live free from fear. I hope for a society where there will be justice for all, no matter the colour of your skin. And I hope that the families of victims find comfort and peace in any way they can. The work must continue to save Black and Brown communities everywhere.
Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and Twitter to see more of what I’m up to, and I’ll see you same time same place next week!
Catch you soon,
J’Nae
ON MY BLOG:
- Over the course of lockdown comfort trumped style, we reached for clothing that would suit our mostly indoor based activities, and we quickly fell into the habit of forgetting about getting dressed in the mornings. My latest blog post explores how to elevate your loungewear ready for our return to society.
No usual recommendations today, just a list of resources for further reading on Black Lives Matter, and how you can help:
- How to support Black Lives Matter, wherever you are by Time Out
- 168 Ways to Donate in Support of Black Lives and Communities of Color by The Strategist
- Here’s What You Can Do to Demand Justice for Black Lives Right Now by Cosmopolitan
- How To Support Black Lives Matter If You’re In Europe by HighSnobiety
*Please continue to look into these topics further and really educate yourself for yourself, this list is not exhaustive.
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