Justice has been served in the Derek Chauvin trial.

However, the justice system

seems unfairly slow.  It took 9 minutes for Derek Chauvin to kill George Floyd, but the

trial took weeks before the former police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted. Today I

listened in class while everyone spoke about their views and their beliefs. Opinions varied,

some were surprised that the verdict held Chauvin, a White former police officer

accountable for the death of a Black man, while others expected it. However, as I sat in my

living room listening to the verdict my concern regarding police use of force and raising a

Black son was not alleviated. I was ambivalent, thankful for accountability, cautious about

letting my son go outside and utilize more freedom. Unanswered questions still linger in my

mind, was the guilty verdict an attempt to avoid public unrest, or was it a true reflection in

the change of thinking regarding force and race relations.  One report said that the judge

withheld the verdict so that more people would be at home, rather than on the streets. 

However the verdict did not seem to be a surprise. It does not take a genius to determine

that the evidence pointed to the conviction of this White police officer. This police officer

abused his power, although the defense stated otherwise. The defense attempted to

convince the jury that Chauvin a White police officer had a valid reason to use the

“restraining technique” fatally kneeing the neck of a Black Man George Floyd while George

Floyd struggled for his breathe while yelling out for his mother and saying he could not

breathe. The seemingly delay in verdict did not prevent protests, people wanted to

understand the delay.

My heart aches for the families. My heartfelt belief is that no one, especially a police

officer who is trained to protect and serve, would consciously and intentionally take the life

of another human being. What happened to Chauvin to make him think that his actions

were acceptable, appropriate and without guilt? I was also sympathetic for George Floyd's
family and friends having to relive their grief and attest to the detrimental impact of their

loss. As a Black mother of two Black kings, my perspective on police officers is different

than many others. I have a litany of instructions for my 14 year old son, walk with your head

high, don’t look at anyone the wrong way, beware of your body language, keep your hoodie

off your head,  if stopped by the police stand absolutely still with your hands in the air, don’t

make no sudden moves. This should not be the way a community lives in America. The

imbalance of power, intolerance, systemic racism and ideology of racial, ethnic and social

superiority negatively impacts the minority experience making it challenging to ignore the

impact of American history and the barriers to success. White skin is not the measurement

of the value of a life. Black Lives Matter too. All people must stand together to overcome

inequality and profess equal protection for all minority groups.