@LadyPGrayson Yesterday I sat in front of my television waiting for the verdict on the Derek Chauvin trial. I was heavily concerned that, like in the Amber Guyger trial, the jury would take it upon themselves to ignorantly exercise mercy in the name of the victim when their job was to attempt to administer justice. When the three charges were read, and all came back with a verdict of guilty, initially, I cheered, then I burst into tears. I didn’t realize how all of the stress of this blatant murder had weighed on me. My son and I traveled to numerous protests. We even traveled to Houston to attend Mr. Floyd’s wake and the viewing of his funeral procession on the way to the cemetery after the funeral along the streets, as many others did.
I realized that when Dallas Police Department shot me in my head last summer with a non-lethal round at a peaceful protest, it was not in vain. It made my heart so happy to hear the Floyd family thank those of us that took to the streets on Mr. Floyd’s behalf. They thanked the activists, protesters, and those that supported their family. The Floyd family is the only family I recall doing that. But even as this victory took place, I remembered how Aaron Dean, Atatiana Jefferson’s murderer, is still walking around free on bail when he murdered Atatiana before Derek Chauvin murdered Mr. Floyd. Within the last 10-15 days, we’ve seen a young Black man bullied by an army officer for walking around in the neighborhood he lived. Then there’s Daunte Wright, murdered by a seasoned law enforcement officer that mistook a gun for a taser. On the day we learned of Chauvin’s verdict, we see Ma’Khia Bryant murdered by the officer she called for help. While I am thrilled that Chauvin was found guilty, his indictment is only a tiny representation of the entire system that is still an oppressive murderous issue for Black people. As we chant in the streets, “Indict, convict, send those killer cops to jail, the whole damn system is guilty as hell.”
I realized that when Dallas Police Department shot me in my head last summer with a non-lethal round at a peaceful protest, it was not in vain. It made my heart so happy to hear the Floyd family thank those of us that took to the streets on Mr. Floyd’s behalf. They thanked the activists, protesters, and those that supported their family. The Floyd family is the only family I recall doing that. But even as this victory took place, I remembered how Aaron Dean, Atatiana Jefferson’s murderer, is still walking around free on bail when he murdered Atatiana before Derek Chauvin murdered Mr. Floyd. Within the last 10-15 days, we’ve seen a young Black man bullied by an army officer for walking around in the neighborhood he lived. Then there’s Daunte Wright, murdered by a seasoned law enforcement officer that mistook a gun for a taser. On the day we learned of Chauvin’s verdict, we see Ma’Khia Bryant murdered by the officer she called for help. While I am thrilled that Chauvin was found guilty, his indictment is only a tiny representation of the entire system that is still an oppressive murderous issue for Black people. As we chant in the streets, “Indict, convict, send those killer cops to jail, the whole damn system is guilty as hell.”