Guilty On All Three Counts

Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, was found guilty on all charges of the death of George Floyd by a jury. Even before the trial began, the prosecution has been one of the most closely watched in modern years, igniting a public conversation around police brutality and institutional racism.

The trial:

The court was watched over by Judge Cahill. Cahill, who is known for being honest and decisive, took the unprecedented step of allowing the trial to be televised live. Floyd died as a direct result of Chauvin's conduct, according to the prosecution: Floyd died of insufficient oxygen levels, which caused a brain injury and arrhythmia, as a result of Chauvin's weight on Floyd's neck and back while holding him in the prone position which caused his heart to stop. The case's testimony was notable in that it featured several Minneapolis police officers as trial witnesses. Chief Medaria Arradondo of the Minneapolis Police Department and other officers of his department testified that Chauvin's prolonged detention of Floyd was unreasonable and in violation of the department's use-of-force policy.

Meanwhile, Chauvin's defense suggested that a number of causes contributed to Floyd's death, including Floyd's swollen pulse, fentanyl and methamphetamine in his system, and possibly carbon monoxide from squad car exhaust. Defense lawyer Eric Nelson worked to cast doubt on the prosecution's evidence. He described Chauvin's conduct as that of an "ordinary police officer" trying to do his job under tense and unpredictable conditions.

While the testimony covered a wide variety of subjects, from complex medical and forensic pathology to police tactics and use of force. Bystander Charles McMillian and the young woman known in court as Darnella, who was 17 at the time she took video of the attack, all expressed intense emotion. Dr. Andrew Baker, the medical examiner for Hennepin County, testified that Floyd died of cardiopulmonary arrest caused by "law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression." He claimed that the mode of death was "homicide," implying that the death was caused by someone else. "The law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression is just more than Mr. Floyd could bear, due to certain cardiac problems," according to Baker, the medical examiner. Fentanyl and heart disease may have played a role in Floyd's suicide, but they were not the cause, according to Baker.

The outcome of the trial:

For second-degree murder, Chauvin faces up to 40 years in jail, up to 25 years for third-degree murder, and up to 10 years for manslaughter. Minnesota's sentencing guidelines prescribe a minimum of 12.5 years in jail on each murder conviction and a maximum of four years in prison for manslaughter. The state has requested a harsher punishment than the recommendations given in this situation. Chauvin's sentencing is set for eight weeks from now.

Though George Floyd was murdered in the United States, the trial affected Black and racialized people all over the world. It wasn't about justice, but about responsibility. Racism, bigotry, and inequality must be consciously identified, interrupted, and addressed now more than ever.

This is not justice, it’s accountability.