What Derek Chauvin’s Guilty Verdict Means
Nearly a year after the tragic and outraging death of George Floyd, jurors have found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of murder. Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, died after his neck was pinned under Chauvin’s knee for nearly nine and a half minutes.
His death sparked national conversations about the intersection of race and policing and ignited civil rights protests on a scale that hasn’t been seen in America in decades, according to historians. After the video of Floyd’s murder went viral last May, chants of “I can’t breathe” and “say his name” were heard in towns and cities alike as Americans across the country reckoned with racism in a major way.
Chauvin was charged with two counts of murder and one count of manslaughter and after only 10 hours of deliberation, found guilty of all three. The trial, which began at the end of March and came to a close last week, focused on two main questions: whether Chauvin acted reasonably in the situation according to his training and whether he had caused Floyd’s death.
The beginning of the trial was characterized by witness testimony for the prosecution by many individuals who actually witnessed the arrest and subsequent death of Floyd. Their emotional accounts gave jurors insight into what the incident was like firsthand, as well as Floyd’s final moments.
One such witness was Darnella Frazier, the teenager who captured the nearly 10-minute video seen around the world. In court, Frazier said there were times over the last year where she felt guilty for not doing more for Floyd. “But…it’s not what I should have done, it’s what he should have done,” she says, referring to Chauvin.
The second half of the trial, however, focused on testimony by both medical and law enforcement experts. This was important to both the prosecution and the defense, as one of the biggest questions in this case was what actually caused Floyd’s death. The prosecution argued it was the deprivation of oxygen caused by Chauvin’s knee, while the defense suggested Floyd’s history of drug use was to blame.
Ultimately, the jury sided with the prosecution’s medical experts who said Floyd’s death could be attributed to a lack of oxygen and law enforcement officials who asserted Chauvin’s use of force was not reasonable. A guilty verdict on all three counts was handed down on April 20—but what do they actually mean?
As described in this article by The New York Times, the first charge, second-degree murder, is causing the death of another without intent while also committing or attempting to commit another felony—in this case, assault. The second, third-degree murder, is causing a death unintentionally by committing an act that is obviously dangerous and without regard to human life. Chauvin’s third and final charge, manslaughter, is also causing the death of another without intent, but by “consciously taking the chance of causing death or great bodily harm to someone else.” None of these charges required the jury to determine Chauvin intended to kill Floyd, only that he was at fault.
The verdict is a landmark result for a case involving police brutality but has been met with mixed emotions from Black communities across the country and those most vocal about police brutality as people wonder whether or not the victory will propel real change going forward.
Many weren’t confident the case would even result in justice for Floyd by convicting Chauvin—and how could they be? In between the times when testimony in Floyd’s case began and the verdict was read, at least 64 Americans died at the hands of police. More than half of those deaths were Black and Latinx individuals.
Just two days after Chauvin’s verdict was read, Andrew Brown Jr. was shot and killed by deputies only three and a half hours away from Elon in Elizabeth City.
Opinion columnist Charles M. Blow said it best in an op-ed for the New York Times: “Even in celebrating that victory, there is sadness. Why is the hurdle set to that nearly impossible height? Must your killing be in slow motion and caught on not one video but multiples?”
Blow likened this pivotal moment in the country’s history to an uphill battle—even those who are used to loss are allowed a moment to celebrate when victory finally arrives. He reminds us, though, that we must not confuse this one battle for the war that persists long after Chauvin is sentenced.
There is still a long way to go until true justice is achieved, but accountability for one officer is a start. Here on Elon’s campus, it’s important we continue to have these tough conversations. For resources and information on activism, please visit the Elon Center for Race, Ethnicity, & Diversity Education’s (CREDE) website here.
As you consider what you can do, remember Darnella Frazier, the young woman and bystander who had the courage to pull out her phone and film a horrific act of injustice in a moment of immeasurable helplessness and violence. She serves as an example that we all can make a difference if only we have the courage to do the right thing.
At The Edge, we condemn racial injustice and are committed to making Elon a campus on which everyone is comfortable and safe. We invite you to submit opinion pieces, stories, educational resources you have tried and other pieces of information you think can help continue the much-needed discussion for change and equality, to elonedge@gmail.com. We hope to create a space for collaboration and education and encourage you to help us do so.
Cover photo embedded from NAACP’s Instagram.