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Derek Chauvin and the Far-Right
Warning, this piece contains quotes from far-right sites that contain triggering language.
The Derek Chauvin trial was not just about a black family or the black community. First, this was a historic day. Second, it is the first step in righting centuries of horrors. There is no parallel to the blue wall of silence crumbling during the trial. There is no precedent to police chiefs testifying against their own officers. Partly, there was video, which makes all the difference in the world. This video was the star witness during the trial. Without it, I doubt we would even have gotten an indictment.
Let’s be clear about this. Now former officer and convicted murderer Derek Chauvin had a history of civilian complaints. What he did that day was not completely unprecedented. Civilian complaints led to no consequences. In fact, the man was a Field Training Officer and was practicing that day in that capacity. He was teaching exactly how not to do the job to a rookie officer who was the only one who raised a question about placing George Floyd in the recovery position. It was his fourth day on the job and he remembered some of his academy training. That officer awaits his own date with a judge and jury.
Officers rarely face legal consequences when they commit crimes. It is hard to understand just how stacked the deck is against justice in cases…