The promise of humanity: Redemption that goes beyond police reform
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This commentary is going to be a challenge 鈥 for me, first and foremost. The challenge is to see George Floyd鈥檚 death and everything that follows it in a holistic fashion.
I didn鈥檛 watch the video of Derek Chauvin鈥檚 murderous act. I didn鈥檛 watch Mr. Floyd succumbing to the pressure of Mr. Chauvin鈥檚 knee on his neck for more than nine minutes.
I didn鈥檛 have to watch it.聽I鈥檇 seen it all before 鈥 and saw myself, a Black man, in those scenarios.
Why We Wrote This
The jury鈥檚 guilty verdict for Derek Chauvin made our commentator wonder how much more he could hope for. Police reform, to be sure. But his ultimate goal 鈥 humanity for all 鈥 entails so much more.
The visceral pain from that viral video turned into protests 鈥 not just in Minnesota or the United States, but all over the world. I marched alongside folks and even organized a protest in my hometown. And I watched firsthand as a day of anti-police sentiment in Columbia, South Carolina, received a from the city.
Again, the challenge is to see this moment 鈥撀燼nd moments 鈥 holistically. It鈥檚 not about me, but us. Our perpetual response to Mr. Floyd鈥檚 death is what makes this moment, and everything that comes afterward, so important.
When I heard that a verdict had been reached in Mr. Chauvin鈥檚 trial, I thought about that moment 鈥 this moment 鈥撀爄n its entirety. I understood that we were still in a fight to honor the lives of Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, Sandra Bland, Daunte Wright, and too many others. I also knew what a guilty verdict would mean to a nation 鈥 a world 鈥撀爐hat watched with tired yet vigilant eyes.
The presence of justice
The guilty verdict for Mr. Chauvin was humanizing. That sentiment poured through the screen and my social media feeds when the verdict was announced 鈥 guilty on all three charges. People cried. People shouted. People fainted in the presence of justice.聽
What followed were promises and proclamations of redemption, and while I respect those claims, the ultimate feeling from Tuesday鈥檚 verdict for many was relief.
That relief wasn鈥檛 just from the residual pain felt for the names I mentioned earlier 鈥 and so many more. It was relief in the face of a judicial system that many people still feel isn鈥檛 just. The mere presence of justice was progress.
I鈥檝e often thought about the humanity lost in these times聽鈥 not just the loss of life, but the loss of living. The burden Black people face in the most common of situations with the police is not just the fear of losing one鈥檚 life, but the chance of being treated as less than human. While the restoration of humanity might start with a single verdict, it requires so much more than that decision.
True redemption begins when we prioritize and give power to the people as a whole. In this context, I am speaking about Black people, but I understand that people of various backgrounds and races have legitimate feelings about the overreaches of policing. Many of those conversations can start on a local level, where municipalities and cities appropriate of their tax dollars 鈥 more than 50% in some cases 鈥撀爐o funding the police.聽
That is the great irony of the , which will undoubtedly receive a boost from the result of Tuesday鈥檚 verdict. As much as the legislation demands accountability related to racial bias in policing, police misconduct, and excessive force, it also pours a heaping helping of funding ($750 million, to be exact) into an already well-funded entity. And while it鈥檚 true that those additional funds would support of officers using deadly force, that doesn鈥檛 get to the heart of the problem. True redemption would redistribute wealth toward efforts like health care and housing that help everyday people.
The promise of humanity
I am thinking about George Floyd, the man, now. I鈥檓 thinking about him independent of his actions the night he died and of Mr. Chauvin鈥檚 actions. I鈥檓 thinking about him moving to Minneapolis to get his life together, as Mr. Floyd鈥檚 friend and former NBA player Stephen Jackson told聽.
鈥淗e was excited to tell me he was driving trucks and he was going to Minnesota and start over 鈥 get a new start,鈥 Mr. Jackson said.
It reminds me of the that Breonna Taylor and her fianc茅, Kenneth Walker, had before tragedy struck.
Theirs are promises unrealized. But in this moment and the moments ahead, we have an opportunity to realize ours.
The promise of redemption must include more than the promise of police reform. It has to include the promise of opportunity for everyone.聽At the very least, it has to include the promise of humanity.
Ken Makin is the host of the 鈥淢akin鈥 A Difference鈥 podcast.