Collin Willis

Today the trial of Former Officer Derek Chauvin came to an end, with a guilty verdict pronounced on all accounts. It seems that Chauvin will spend the remainder of his life behind bars. Tonight many will celebrate, many will mourn, and many will reflect on what this means for both our justice system and for our fractured nation.

The Fuse

George Floyd’s murder at the knee of Derek Chauvin came at a critical time in America. Still adapting to life in the pandemic, with the death toll starting to rise, and recently reeling from the exposure of the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, the death of George Floyd and subsequent viral footage of the killing sparked something within an already hurting people. In a sick way, the death of George Floyd brought the nation together in a way that nothing else could. It caused a stirring that united not only the Black community but that also caught the attention of many (including myself) who in the past had been removed and to a certain extent, blasé, about the realities of systemic racism. The evidence was so overbearing that the usual counter-arguments of “he should have just complied” and “he wouldn’t have had anything to fear if he wasn’t doing anything wrong” seemed to be completely drowned out, if even they existed at all. (Though the fentanyl myth gained initial traction it seemed that it too was soon lost).

The Best in Us

In many ways this unification showed us the best of what this country can be. People organized, marched, spoke out, and made a commitment to the conversation. Speaking specifically as someone whose background, unfortunately, doesn’t include a wide array of diversity- white eyes were opened and ears began to listen. And fortunately for those of us arriving late to the party, Black leaders stepped up to the challenge. They stepped up to not only that challenge presented by the systemic issues at hand, but by those starting to ask questions and seek reconciliation for the first time. They stepped up to lead, to organize, to preach, and to change. And in many ways they were successful even despite their own emotional challenges with the situation and a pandemic in full swing.

The Worst in Us

But progress is not made entirely from sunshine and rainbows. As the nation grappled with the death of George Floyd, justice took over a year to arrive. In that time we’ve seen countless other killings of similar manner go unchallenged or challenged only once footage came into the public eye. We’ve seen attempts to dismiss the realities of systemic racism because protests lead way to riots. We’ve seen teenagers cross state-lines with the (successful) intent to kill. We’ve seen conspiracy, sedition, and increased violence against Asian-Americans because of it. But worst of all we’ve seen inaction on behalf of our politicians and the judicial branch of our legal system.

While people mourned, marched, and made the way for change within their own communities we saw the President take a photo-op with a Bible and the Speaker of the House kneel for a photo-op with appropriated dress. From either side of the Federal aisle we saw showmanship and virtue-signaling, but no true action.

Via Federal inaction and judicial inaction we saw just how flawed this system that is supposed to represent and protect the interests of all its citizens really is.

A Moment of Healing

It’s easy to see when the system is broken, especially in accordance with racial injustice. It isn’t always easy to see when the system lives up to its intention. Today was one of those rare days that provided victory. There may be no making up for the lost life of George Floyd, but bringing his killer to justice is heavy first step towards genuine reconciliation in this country.

Unlike much of the past year, today isn’t a reminder that the system is broken, but that it is still capable of serving justice. Today is a moment for communities all across the nation to breathe easily and say “okay, we made it here, now lets take the next step”. Today is a reminder that victory and reconciliation are possible, even though painful and not won in a fortnight.

Moving Forward

The next step is to make sure that the system is equipped and ready to prevent the next Derek Chauvin from ever getting the opportunity to end another Black life with impunity. Because if there’s one thing that the past year has taught us, it’s that there are many Derek Chauvins out there, waiting for their chance to kneel. Neither can the many officers seeking truly to serve and protect, nor the citizens they’re pledged to serve, live peaceably while the system that binds them together is flawed, broken, and leveraged with Chauvins and Chauvins in waiting- on both sides of the badge.

We saw victory because we saw unity. We saw communities coming together with the intention to change, even if that meant having to change themselves. We saw communities cry out and make their voices heard, and in many places we saw law enforcement listen and reach across the aisle with initiatives not for better policing but for true justice within the community. And only in unity can this nation move forward, and take that next heavy step that comes after this small (but immeasurable) victory.

Closing Thoughts

Today is a rare day when the dam that blocks social progress has been overridden and despite the deterrents that sought to let Chauvin walk free and this issue remain unnoticed, genuine justice has been served. But, this fight towards equality is not over; the dam can easily be patched and the currently optimistic flow of social progress easily curbed.

My prayer as the nation moves forward is that now that many, like myself, have seen this boil on the flesh of America, we will choose not to again cover it up. I cannot put it any more eloquently than Dr. King:

I had hoped that the white moderate would understand that law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and that when they fail in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress. I had hoped that the white moderate would understand that the present tension in the South is a necessary phase of the transition from an obnoxious negative peace, in which the Negro passively accepted his unjust plight, to a substantive and positive peace, in which all men will respect the dignity and worth of human personality. Actually, we who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive. We bring it out in the open, where it can be seen and dealt with. Like a boil that can never be cured so long as it is covered up but must be opened with all its ugliness to the natural medicines of air and light, injustice must be exposed, with all the tension its exposure creates, to the light of human conscience and the air of national opinion before it can be cured.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Letter from a Birmingham Jail (1963)

Today I hope that this nation will breathe deeply and relish in this victory that many have fought hard to see come through. Tomorrow I hope that this nation will choose not to roll down its sleeves and retire but to keep its sleeves rolled up, to keep this boil of injustice exposed to the light and to fix both its conscience and its arms towards the un-ended work of progress and reconciliation.