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Editorial
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It’s Far From Over
ast week, after a three-
week trial, a jury com- posed of 6 whites, 4 Blacks and 2 individuals who classi- fied themselves as multi- race, found Derek Chauvin guilty on all three of the counts he faced in the death of George Floyd including, second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaugh- ter.
The outcome of the jury deliberations, though not certain beforehand, went the way many expected because the alternative, a not-guilty verdict, would surely have re- sulted in hundreds of U. S. cities simultaneously going up in smoke in response. Based on the mayhem we witnessed last summer after the video of Floyd's life being taken went viral, not wanting to be the catalyst for a repeat performance to occur, more than likely, played a large role in the jury's vote.
While it wouldn't be sur- prising to me if it was discov- ered that at least one white juror may have wanted to give Chauvin the benefit of the doubt, the person proba- bly understood that Chau- vinhadtobefedtothe system as a sacrifice for the
greater financial good.
To those who heavily crit- icize civil disobedience in the form of marching, burning and looting, the fact that the jury was able to come to a unanimous decision, in spite of its political and social dif- ferences, is proof that when people fear losing their liveli- hoods, peace of mind and freedom of movement it forces them to act accord-
ingly.
Had the massive demon-
strations not taken place across the globe in 2020, there's a very good chance that Chauvin could be a free man today. And Floyd's name would have been just the latest one emblazoned on t-shirts under a heading that read: "Justice For."
This time, fortunately, the killer didn't get away. A guilty verdict means we don't have to worry about another George Zimmerman-like jackass smugly popping up on social media in a few years making petulant remarks about his victim or auction- ing off the gun used in his crime (in Chauvin's case I imagine it would have been an autographed photo of him kneeling on Floyd's neck).
We don't have to worry about those things happen-
ing because, in this instance, the individual responsible for taking a Black man's life un- justifiably is actually going to prison. The only question now is how long will they make his sentence?
Even though Chauvin is eligible to receive up to 40 years for his convictions, and possibly more when aggra- vating factors are applied, the fact of the matter is that the judge is not bound to give him the max. Without a min- imum mandatory on any of the charges this means that, theoretically, the judge pre- siding over the case could give Chauvin as little as 5 years to run concurrently on each count if he sees fit.
Of course, that probably won't happen because the judge is also aware of the possible huge ramifications if he comes off as too lenient. But, considering how he went out of his way to inform Chauvin's defense team of their potential grounds for appeal, it suggests that the judge in this case may not be as eager to hang Chauvin out to dry as everyone else.
Six weeks from now, when Chauvin returns to court for sentencing, we will see if the punishment meas- ures up to the crime or if the entire process was more about public appeasement than justice. Only time will tell.
Reality On Ice is © by the Florida Sentinel Bul- letin Publishing Com- pany. You can email Mr. Barr at: cbscribe2@g- mail.com.
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People Who Bare Watching
emember when Grandma or Big Ma used to say,
“child, he bares watching?” Well, when Derek Chauvin, Minneapolis police officer, was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd, and some commentators made disparaging remarks about the verdict, the comment “he bares watching,” came to mind.
Anyone who thinks it is appropriate for anyone to kneel and place their entire weight on someone else’s neck for nearly ten minutes bares watching. Let us pray they are never called for jury duty in any murder cases. Moreover, let us pray they never run for public office again.
Both Forbes and Newsweek magazine journalists wrote stories confirming that a CBS poll showed nearly half of Republicans think the Derek Chauvin verdict was wrong when the jury found Chauvin guilty of mur- dering George Floyd. Thankfully, the majority (75%) of over 2,500 Americans surveyed for the poll thought the charges were given the right verdict.
Indeed, 90 percent of Democrats said jurors reached the right verdict, while “a slim majority (54%) of Re- publicans said the same.” Seventy-five percent of inde- pendents thought the verdict was the right decision.
Commentators like Tucker Carlson and Ben Shapiro, who believe the jury decision was reached be- cause the jurors were intimidated by the threat of protests that followed the murder of George bares watching.
People who make snide remarks about the verdict like FOX News anchor Tomi Lahren who quipped, “Is Foot Locker safe tonight?,” after the verdict bare watching closely. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and any other elected Congressperson who thinks like her bare watching.
If they think the Black Life Matters group “is the strongest terrorist threat in our country,” while the FBI says members of 247 white supremist groups involved in the assault on the United States Capitol on January
6th are the greatest threat to America, all of which bare watching.
Finally, all Republican governors and legislators who promote and vote for sup- pressive voting laws bare watching and should be voted out of office. Certainly, any Congressional member or other elected official who silently accepted the assault
on the Capitol last January bare watching and removal from office.
Consequently, we encourage our readers to watch their co-workers, their neigh- bors, and their elected officials to see if you can identify people who bare watching.
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FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2021 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY PAGE 5-A