Guilty
I am not qualified to speak on the murder of George Floyd.
I’m not a black man or a police officer. At best, I am an observer. A man who watched a video. A horrific video of one man callously murdering another. I watched a police officer, loud, obnoxious, and brutal, kneel on Floyd’s neck. He was more upset at the bystanders pleading for him to stop. He ignored the cries from Floyd to stop.
One brave woman recorded the entire ordeal.
I’m not an investigator or a lawyer or a judge. I can’t go through a video like a forensic scientist. I didn’t spend my time watching the trial. I didn’t need to waste my time. He was guilty. The video was more than enough evidence.
When it was announced a verdict was imminent, I subconsciously held my breath. I hoped for the best. I knew it could be bad. Statistically, police officers in former Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin place do not get convicted. They do not pass go and head directly to jail.
Chauvin was convicted on all counts.
As I let out that breath, I thought of one person. The young girl who used an iPhone to record a murder.
Darnella Frazier recorded the murder of George Floyd and with her video changed the way police and the public will interact forever. There is no question her video was the reason justice was served. Millions or people watched her video, me included. Because of the video, the activism of Black Lives Matter and other more formal organizations marched and protested. Frazier’s video exposed a broken social contract.
It opened my eyes.
Police killing innocent people is not a new problem. The difference is more and more people of all walks of life are understanding the problem. Understanding is happening because practically everyone has a pocket-sized computer with a high-definition camera and social media networks that can push those images and videos to the world in seconds. That’s how I saw the murder of George Floyd. It’s how you saw it too.
I can’t think of anything that can change the world in seconds than a horrific video sent over the internet. And that’s a good thing.
I’m just an observer, but sometimes that is enough to make a difference.
What comes next? I don’t know.