I read the ticker at the bottom of the flat screen television. Former law enforcement officer Derek Chauvin “convicted of all charges” levied against him for the killing of George Floyd. The men in the room were glued to the broadcast.
Mark Wood, a 63-year-old White, retired U.S. Navy veteran serving a 25-year sentence, said he believed Chauvin was guilty of manslaughter, but he didn’t think he intended to kill Floyd. Wood said he was relieved it was over.
“I think it will result in fewer arrests and more violence. Especially gun violence,” he added.
Harry Austin, a 57-year-old Black man descended from a Cherokee Indian mother and North Carolinian father, agreed.
“I feel justice finally came to pass for a Black person abused by a White cop,” he said, adding, “The charges were accurate, but I can’t say he did it with malice. He was angry, though. Floyd had a previous altercation with him which might have given Chauvin a motive.”
Austin, who is serving his 16th year of a 30-year sentence, said he felt the landscape of justice had changed. “They will be held accountable for their jobs,” he said.
Rodney Tunidor, 43-year-old immigrant from Cuba commented that all the charges “fit the criteria of his actions.”
I asked how he felt the verdict might change policing. “Finally you see some accountability,” Tunidor responded. “No one’s above the law. His actions broke the trust in law enforcement.”
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Chauvin Verdict, Justice Served
