Conviction Must Inspire Deconstruction, Reconstruction of American Policing

Hearing former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin be convicted on all three counts for George Floyd’s 9:29 murder left me with a tear-stained face. Witnessing a White police officer finally held accountable for a Black person’s death left me on the brink of joy.

But, something stopped me from celebrating. A mixture of hard-to-place dread and rage filled my spirit. That hard-to-place dread surfaced the moments after Columbus Police killed 16-year-old Makiah Bryant.

Too Good To Be True

This empath couldn’t shake a too good to be true feeling and felt Bryant’s soul drift away. Bryant reportedly called 911 because grown women were gathered outside her home — intent on attacking her.

Bryant grabbed a knife for protection. Police shot and killed her within 22 seconds of their arrival. She had a weapon. She didn’t comply. Let’s start with a couple of tried-and-true attempts at justifying Bryant’s murder.

Plenty of White perps have weapons and survive arrest. Plenty of White people don’t comply and survive arrest. A White man was arrested alive after attacking an officer and dragging him with his truck over a face mask.

Deadly Force: Only Option

Deadly force seems to be the only option for dealing with people of color. Tasers are often never the first line of defense during interactions with Black people. Why? We’ve been characterized as subhuman since 1619.

Carolus Linnaeus, a 17th century botanist, categorized Black people as being between gnomes and giants. Bible verses describe — but never condemn — slavery.

Doing God’s Work

So, slave traders and owners convinced themselves they were doing God’s work by treating some of her children like property. Slave Codes were invented to codify control of enslaved Africans. Those slave codes have transformed into modern-day ways to police Black people in America. Make no mistake. There are two Americas. Convicting Chauvin doesn’t mean this nation had some epiphany about the value of Black lives.

Doing The Bare Minimum

A Minnesota jury simply did the bare minimum. It held a police officer, who murdered a Black man on film, accountable. Yes, the courage of witnesses and jurors reaped the verdict. Still, a guilty verdict remains the bare minimum.

Chauvin’s trial wasn’t just about his guilt or innocence. His experience with due process also put policing on trial. Alleged police procedures don’t supersede constitutional law — especially when your chief says you weren’t following procedure.

Despite’s Axios’s attempt at downplaying the need for police reform with this Fox News Lite fare, Chauvin’s conviction must serve as the beginning of deconstructing and reconstructing policing as we know it. It must no longer be tethered to the vestiges of slavery.