The 25th of May marks exactly three hundred and sixty-five days since the tragic and traumatising death of George Floyd. The impact of his death still reverberates today, rightfully so, and it is important we embrace its significance and pay our respects.
Having all heard about the series of events that lead to George Floyd’s death, those horrific nine and a half minutes, the awful circumstances of Floyd’s murder will not be repeated here.
Focussing in on this tragedy’s repercussions, Derek Chauvin, Floyd’s murderer and a Minneapolis police officer, was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. Obscene as it is, a verdict like this is rare for police officers in the United States; they are protected by their badge, meaning that for hundreds of police brutality victims a year, justice is never served. Hence, Chauvin’s charging does mark a step towards racial equality in America. However, though progressive as this ruling is, it is arguably the bare minimum; for the courts to find a murderer guilty of murder should hardly be held up as a huge success. Yet it is, which is telling of America’s racial bias problem.
Watching the footage of Chauvin in court, it was impossible to miss his eyes, darting frantically around the courtroom, as if looking for a way out, for some miracle to save him. Alas, for the Minnesotan police officer, the only way out for him now is to serve his due time. Hard to miss too were the cheers from the impromptu crowd that had formed outside, which were apparently audible from the courtroom itself. The crowds cheering for Chauvin’s sentence were well aware too that there is more to be done. A sign erected once the news broke out read, “Justice for George Floyd – Justice Served?” The question mark is key here, for can we really claim justice is served, if for so many Black people in America it is not?
This death was representative of the injustice Black people have faced at the hands of the law enforcement, and of America’s broken judicial system which has enabled this to go on for so long. However, although police brutality is extremely prevalent in the Unites States, that does not exclude other countries from taking responsibility for the institutional racism present in their communities. There is tendency for countries or people to say, “we are one of the least racist countries in the world,” but it’s important to note that “least racist” is not synonymous with “not racist”. There is a need for reformation and improvement in the system.
We have to take George Floyd’s death and think about him as a human being, rather than a statistic. As a generation we are desensitised by the mass media we consume daily. This mass consumption causes us to unconsciously detach ourselves from stories and forget that the stories we read have happened to real individuals. It is important that we empathise with these stories. We have to independently and actively search for ways to demonstrate our support whilst also keeping ourselves informed on related issues. It is also paramount that we do not fall into the category of performative activism by only “caring” about stories that are popularised by social media, whilst ignoring other relevant stories; the deaths of others at the hand of the police cannot be forgotten. Daunte Wright, Stephon Clarke, Breonna Taylor, Alton Sterling and Philando Castle are to name but a few who’ve lost their lives but have received neither media attention nor full justice.
George Floyd is not the only victim of police brutality but, rather, a singular victim among a sea of others. It was this victim of police brutality that forced us to wake up to the discrimination and corruption Black people have grown to be so accustomed to.
Rest in Peace George Floyd.
