Justice Served?

Tags

Black Lives Matter

Today (April, 20, 2021), a jury in Minneapolis found Derek Chauvin – a former police officer – guilty of killing George Floyd. Chauvin was an active duty officer at the time of the killing. It is certainly to be celebrated that the jury reached the verdict that it did. The verdict is to be celebrated because we have seen time and time again that either no charges are brought against those who kill Black and Brown people, or when charges are brought, the accused will not be convicted.

It is difficult for be to be in such a celebratory mood, however, because I don’t know if this is actually a sign of change. I didn’t watch the trial religiously as some others did, but there were many police officers and police-affiliated witnesses who testified against Derek Chauvin. I ask therefore, why is he being “sacrificed”? Is there an actual crack in the blue wall? Was it the nine-plus minutes of Chaivin with his knee on Mr. Floyd’s neck that made a difference? The jury was asked to “believe their eyes,” which I guess they did. Makes me wonder why the Rodney King jury did not believe their eyes? That was a different time, for sure, when there was not as much rage among so many people about social justice issues.

I do hope that this verdict signals a greater change in our society and that the Derek Chauvin verdict is not a fluke. We will watch to see what happens with the Kimberly Ann Potter (who shot and killed Daunte Wright) case, and unfortunately, the cases that are still to come. I could go on about the need for police reform and the need for general respect for the lives of Black and Brown people. I certainly hope I will see the day when such respect is demonstrated on a routine basis. For now, I guess I will accept the fact that there is some sense of justice for the Floyd family and hope that we won’t be here again.

#BlackLivesMatter

Distractions and Courtroom Re-enactments

Tags

Black Lives Matter, Police killings, racism trials

Everyone is undoubtedly aware that the trial of Derek Chauvin, accused of killing George Floyd, has begun. If you were not aware, then try Google. Of course, for me, the testimony is not at all interesting. The prosecution is making an attempt to show Mr. Floyd as a flawed, but decent human being (like we all are), and just how relatively happy he was just moments before he was killed. Of course, they had to bring up his drug use (the defense certainly would have if the prosecution didn’t – and they still will). But this brief blog post is not so much about the details of the trial, but about my skepticism about the American Justice System and me already wondering about the outcome of trial, even though all the evidence and testimony has not yet been presented.

It has been reported that half of the jury is non-white because this will allegedly do what? Lead to a hung jury? But I’m jumping ahead to speculate about what may or may not happen.

There is one thing I have found to be particularly striking in the opening remarks of the defense. They claimed that the large crowds and video recording, etc. was distracting the police from doing their jobs, and, as a result they couldn’t pay attention to the man they were killing. AND, of course, Mr. Floyd was a substance abuser, which really caused his death. This information comes directly from the playbook of “let’s demonize the victim,” so we can say that he (or she, or they) deserved to die because presumably it was just a matter of time before they did something even more egregious. We’ve seen this tactic over and over again, haven’t we? I continue to pray that I never get stopped (again) or, heaven forbid, killed by the police. They will surely talk about that pen I took home from the office when I was an employee at a department store office when I was a teenager. Maybe I should send a box of pens to the department store now as restitution?

But you know what might actually be a good form of restitution? A good courtroom re-enactment. I’m not a court-tv fan, but I do watch a lot of legal dramas.😛 I haven’t seen a good re-enactment in a long time. I’d definitely watch this one. If, as the defense claims, Mr Floyd died not from the knee in his neck, but rather from the drugs in his system, I say, let’s have Chauvin lay on the floor in the courthouse with a similar level of distractions (we know the case is being recorded and live streamed) and have someone put their knee on his neck for 9+ minutes and see if he will still be alive. If he is, then maybe, just maybe I will believe that Chauvin didn’t kill Mr. Floyd. If the prosecution has not yet thought of this idea, you can have it – NO CHARGE!

A Personal Message (about race in America)

Tags

anti-racism, Black Lives Matter

[note: this post is a slightly edited version of an email message I sent to all the staff at my place of work (MPOW) on 6/1/2020.]

Last week, a colleague at MPOW shared some information on effective ways to be an ally. She shared those tips in response to the overtly racist incidents that occurred in various parts of the country in the last few days. However, these types of incidents are not limited to the last few days. Rather, they are the latest such incidents that have been publicized widely (many more aren’t) and are indicative of a much larger, systemic problem of racism and oppression that permeates the very fabric of this country. As a Black man in America, that these incidents continue to happen and at what I consider an alarming rate, leaves me in fear – literally – in fear for my life. For my very existence. EVERY. DAY.

I share here two pieces from the Brookings Institution that sum up the systemic devaluation of Black (and I would add and Brown) lives and their take on what’s needed to hold police accountable for the specific action in Minneapolis. There are many other such pieces, but I found these two to be good summaries.   

• • George Floyd’s death demonstrates the policy violence that devalues Black lives 
  • What’s needed for police accountability after the killing of George Floyd (audio: 16 minutes)

In an email message from late last week, the president of my university referred to the institutional values of diversity, inclusion and respect. These are also the values we espouse specifically within the library. We also spent some time in recent years discussing how we live these values. These are not just some words on a shelf or on a website; rather there must be actions that accompany these words. 

I also recognize my privilege. Here at MPOW I have privilege by virtue of my position and I would be remiss if I did not use this privilege for some awareness and, hopefully, some positive change. I hope this brief post with some resources and additional tips will help you to be more engaged in the work of anti-racism. There are many ways to be involved and you should choose the path that is best for you. Understand that the work of being an anti-racist is difficult and it can be uncomfortable, but it is exactly at those moments of discomfort when the work can be most effective.  

Diversity trainer, Jane Elliott, created a  video, of which I am sharing only a clip. But this clip is powerful in its description of being a non-racist (her term). Condemning acts of racism is essential – as is taking other appropriate action. 

But what does getting involved look like? There are many ways to be involved in anti-racist work.  Below are some resources that may be helpful. 

• • Ask yourselves these questions (prepared by Jane Elliott, again, using her term of being “non-racist”)
  • Use the anti-racism resources prepared by Dr. Nicole Cooke, the Augusta Baker Chair of the LIS program at the University of South Carolina
  • Learn from the information found on the National Museum of African American History & Culture’s web portal, “Talking About Race.”

In addition, there are many organizations working on both the local and national levels to combat racism. Some of these organizations include:

• • NAACP
  • Southern Poverty Law Center
  • Black Lives Matter

This is not an exhaustive list by any means and I am not suggesting you work with *these* organizations. However, they are examples of some organizations with which you may wish to consult.

Combatting racism to create the “just society” to which my university president (and so many others) refer requires work from all of us. I hope you will join me in this work that is so important for a better future.