The People vs. Derek Chauvin
Words Sarah Adama
Shutterstock14 days of testimonies and 45 witnesses later, ex-police officer Derek Chauvin has been charged with the murder of George Floyd, whose death last year May sparked Black Lives Matter protest across the U.S and the world.
This has been one of the most closely watched trial since O.J Simpson’s in the 1995, as the world tuned in to hear the verdict for the man whose knee placed on the neck of George Floyd was caught on camera by onlookers on 25 May 2020. This isn’t the first time that video evidence has been presented before a jury, but it is the first time that this has been the outcome. This is the first time that a criminal trial has been televised in the State of Minnesota. Derek Chauvin’s conviction comes as a shock, and a relief to Americans and allies everywhere, perhaps signalling a move towards more accountability for police abuses.
Had the verdict gone the other way, politicians across America were prepared for backlash. With tensions already high in Minnesota following the death of Daunte Wright earlier this month, who was shot by a policewoman who claimed she intended to use her taser but pulled out her handgun instead, the governor called for the National Guard as businesses boarded up gearing for protests. The National Guard were also called out in Chicago, following the shooting of a Latino teenager in March and footage of the killing of Adam Toledo, a 13-year-old boy chased into an alleyway at night and shot by a police officer.
The prosecution’s case was damning, reminding the jury they could believe what they had seen with their own eyes. Police officers were called up as witnesses, something that has never happened before as the force is known for banding together. Police officers are rarely charged for killings in their line of duty, let alone convicted. Coupled with the video evidence, similar footage recorded by police themselves and testimonies by witnesses, including a 9-year-old, it was hard to imagine a jury would conclude anything other than a murder had taken place that day. Another compelling testimony was given 17-year-old Daniella Frazier who shot the video of the event. if she hadn’t recorded that day, Mr Floyd’s death would have been recorded as a medical incident, the narrative the Minneapolis police department painted. Whilst police officers confirmed that Chauvin’s act of kneeling on Mr Floyd’s neck was not part of his training.
The main issues facing the jury were: whether Chauvin’s use of force was justified and the actual cause of George Floyd’s death.
The defense argued poorly, perhaps because there was really no case to fight, so much so that they claimed George Floyd has an underlying health condition. Chauvin’s lawyers argued that his use of force was lawful, the reasonable amount of force expected from a reasonable officer, and that Floyd’s pre-existing health conditions and drug overdose were the cause of his death. Yet, medical examiners ruled that Mr Floyd did not die from any cause (such as opioids or drugs) but this was a clear case of “homicide”.
A jury of nine women and six men took no more than 10 hours to find Chauvin guilty on three counts of second-degree unintentional murder, Third-degree murder and Second-degree manslaughter. The ex-police offer faces 40 years in jail.
This is not just about George Floyd but about the numbers of black men and women, young and old, killed by police officers across America. When Jamar Clark and Philando Castle were killed in Minnesota in 2015 and 2016, one officer was acquitted whilst no charges were filed against the officers in Clark’s case. Without the video evidence and brave witnesses, it’s not a foregone conclusion that this case might have ended up like the others.
In the three weeks of the Chauvin’s trial, more Americans have been murdered by police officers “acting in their line of duty.” Moments after the guilty verdict, protesters gathered in Columbus, Ohio after 16 year-old Ma’Khia Bryant was shot dead by police.
It’s expected that just like the Simpson trial, Chauvin’s conviction will leave a public deeply divided along racial lines. Though this seems to be the police v. the People, the court of Law v. the court of public opinion. One can only wonder, although it doesn’t require much imagination, whether Derek Chauvin would have been convicted if onlookers didn’t film the event on 25 May 2020. One thing is certain, George Floyd received justice not because of the American Justice system but in spite of it.