Derek Chauvin Archives - Pavement Pieces https://pavementpieces.com/tag/derek-chauvin/ From New York to the Nation Thu, 22 Apr 2021 14:35:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 I have a Black son: Here is how I will explain the George Floyd verdict to him someday https://pavementpieces.com/i-have-a-black-son-here-is-how-i-will-explain-the-george-floyd-verdict-to-him-someday/ https://pavementpieces.com/i-have-a-black-son-here-is-how-i-will-explain-the-george-floyd-verdict-to-him-someday/#respond Thu, 22 Apr 2021 14:33:52 +0000 https://pavementpieces.com/?p=25719 I will encourage him to remain his authentic, true Black self.

The post I have a Black son: Here is how I will explain the George Floyd verdict to him someday appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

]]> I was frantically pacing across the carpeted floor of my apartment in anticipation of the verdict when I felt my phone suddenly buzz in the palm of my left hand. I looked down and froze when I read the headline, “Derek Chauvin Convicted of Murder in George Floyd Case.” My heart skipped a beat for a millisecond, and I let out a sigh of relief.  Chauvin was charged on all counts; second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter, sentences that could have him behind bars for four decades. 

Although at that moment, I felt a sense of contentment and solidarity towards the family of George Floyd, something deeper lingered in my mind and hung above my head; the deep-rooted systemic racism embedded in American society and how on earth I would unearth that conversation with my son someday. 

Four months ago, I birthed a son, and while his birth was a life changing experience for me, it was also bittersweet. My son can barely talk now, and he doesn’t know the consequences of his skin color. Still, I am acutely aware that someday, somewhere, as long as there is life in me, I will have to have the difficult conversations with him about the ramifications of wearing a hoodie at night in a suburban neighborhood as a Black man or driving a car that attracts the attention of the police and to say that I fear for that day is an understatement. On the other hand, to pretend that these dangers do not exist in the world would rob him of the right to know of this evil condition in the world called racism.

As a Black mother, I am acutely aware that society demands me to be strong all the time, to take things in stride, and always walk a fine line between remaining composed in the face of racial terrorism and living in an America that has been so wicked to Black lives. If George Floyd’s mother was still alive today, I could not begin to fathom the blinding pain that would shoot through her heart upon having to endure the unjust killing of her son, a son she nurtured and loved a son with whom she was so close. As a mother, I get it.

As I type this, the picture of Emmett Till’s mother crying over his casket plagues my mind and is another bitter reminder of the dangerous poison that is racism. My heart also breaks for the mothers of the Alton Sterlings, Daunte Wrights, Trayvon Martins, and thousands of other Black men and people who have lost their lives in the crossfires of systemic racism and police brutality. No mother should have to explain to their son why thousands of boys that look like him are shot at and killed, year in, year out. Yet, Black mothers across the US consistently bear the brunt of this painful reality. 

I am certain that the hashtag #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd will live on in Cyberspace. When the day comes for me to explain to my son the injustices that have been leveled against Black men for years, I will broach the topic with honesty, grit, and fortitude. Although I wish that I could protect him from the perils of this world, the truth is that I cannot, and that is why Black mothers like me need to recognize that we are faced with a precarious situation: raising Black boys who will thrive in a society that has all of the odds stacked against them. Some day, when my son is older and wiser, I will tell him about George Floyd and his trial, not to scare him or harden his heart, but to make him acutely aware of what it means to be a Black man in America because ignorance is deadly. Being a mother to a Black man in America carries a special type of terror. As I write this article, I am mulling over the many different ways that I will talk to my son about his roots, heritage, and future. For the umpteenth time, I have decided that I will use my words to buttress him against the hate that exists in the world for people that look like him, and above all, I will encourage him to remain his authentic, true Black self.

 

The post I have a Black son: Here is how I will explain the George Floyd verdict to him someday appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

]]> https://pavementpieces.com/i-have-a-black-son-here-is-how-i-will-explain-the-george-floyd-verdict-to-him-someday/feed/ 0 Derek Chauvin convicted of murder in the death of George Floyd https://pavementpieces.com/derek-chauvin-convicted-of-murder-in-the-death-of-george-floyd/ https://pavementpieces.com/derek-chauvin-convicted-of-murder-in-the-death-of-george-floyd/#respond Tue, 20 Apr 2021 22:45:11 +0000 https://pavementpieces.com/?p=25701 After  a gut wrenching trial and 10 hours of deliberations,  former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, 45, was found guilty […]

The post Derek Chauvin convicted of murder in the death of George Floyd appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

]]> After  a gut wrenching trial and 10 hours of deliberations,  former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, 45, was found guilty of murdering George Floyd, who he arrested for allegedly passing a fake $20 bill. Chauvin kneeled on Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes as Floyd cried that he could not breathe igniting social justice protests around the world

 Chauvin was charged with second and third degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. He was found guilty on all counts  and faces up to 40 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled  in eight weeks.

Minneapolis streets erupted with joy.

The verdict comes one day after lawyers on both sides delivered their final closing arguments, which was the zenith of three weeks and over 45 witness testimonies. Thirty-eight  from the prosecution side and seven from the defense. Among the 38 witnesses was the young woman who used her cell phone’s camera to document the now-viral video of Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck, and keeping his knee on his neck even after the paramedics found a pulse-less Floyd laying lifeless on the ground.

Chauvin’s encounter with Floyd ignited a wave of protests across the country that triggered racial discord and conversations regarding defunding the police and enforcing police reform. During the  duration of the trial,  heavy security and barricades were placed outside the courthouse in expectation of civil unrest and protests resulting from the verdict.

 During the trial, Chauvin’s lawyer Eric Nelson honed in on three arguments: Floyd died as a result of the drug overdose Fentanyl and heart disease; the crowd that gathered around the scene distracted Chauvin and caused him to lose his composure and that Chauvin was within his rights of using his police academy training to restrain Floyd. But the jury was not swayed.

New York congressman Jamaal Bowman tweeted that the verdict does not solve the racism that plagues policing.

While many are satisfied with the verdict, questions still remain of the future of policing.    On April 11,  Daunte Wright, 20, was gunned down by Minneapolis police  in what they called “an accidental discharge”. Wright was stopped because his tags’ registration had expired . He also had an outstanding arrest warrant.

The post Derek Chauvin convicted of murder in the death of George Floyd appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

]]> https://pavementpieces.com/derek-chauvin-convicted-of-murder-in-the-death-of-george-floyd/feed/ 0