The Derek Chauvin/George Floyd Case

[canyonwalker]

On May 25, 2020, George Floyd died at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Derek Chauvin, one of several police officers involved, knelt on Floyd's neck 9 minutes and 29 seconds. Chauvin was subsequently fired from the police force and is now on trial for murder. Opening statements in the case began two weeks ago, March 29.

For followers of justice issues such as myself this case is interesting for the change it represents. Police misconduct (that's a mild term for what happened here) has routinely been swept underneath the carpet. Will this case result in the conviction of a (former) police officer for a murder charge?

Now, you may have seen the skit on Saturday Night, Live last weekend that satirized this question. The episode's cold open featured a fictional TV news show discussing the court case in which two White journalists said (paraphrased), "This time it's different" while two Black journalists retorted, "Haha, no, and it's foolish to think that."

Watch on YouTube

I enjoy humor, too, but right now I'm looking at the serious side of this case. On the serious side, there really are major changes happening. Will the case result in the conviction of Derek Chauvin for murdering George Floyd? I can't promise you it will; that's in the hands of the jury. But even if it doesn't, major changes in favor of justice have already happened. (And BTW I do expect Chauvin to be convicted on the strength of the evidence presented.)

More to come on this topic....

Comments

[prince_eric]

I think the bigger question is not if he is convicted, but will any conviction stick?

[canyonwalker]

"Will it stick?" is a valid concern. I myself have warned in other cases that a win at one level in the system can be lost when appealed to the next. That's especially a concern in administrative decisions, though. In the criminal system appeals courts show a lot of deference to trial courts. If Chauvin is convicted his lawyers would have to show a significant defect in the trial process to even get a shot at overturning it on appeal. I consider a successful appeal unlikely as the prosecution has put together a much stronger case against Chauvin than has been assembled against other officers accused of killing suspects via excessive force.