Officers Charged in Floyd Case Leads to Hope for Systemic Change in America

Prosecutors in Minneapolis have filed charges against all four police officers involved in the murder of 46-year-old George Floyd with Derek Chauvin, the white officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes, now facing the more serious charge of second-degree murder instead of third-degree which was the original charge. The other three former officers are charged with aiding and abetting murder.

“I hope this is an inflection point where we begin to balance the scales of justice,” said Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. Ellison joined a virtual meeting Wednesday evening hosted by the African American Policy Forum. The former Congressman will lead the case against the officers, and critics are already calling for his recusal.

He said, “I have maintained a very strong standard and among my staff. At some point, you get used to the bully.”

After a week of protests in more than 25 American cities, demonstrators in countries around the world joined the call for racial justice and an end to police brutality in the United States. World leaders decried the chaos with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pausing 20 seconds when asked about President Donald Trump’s approach to protesters.

Will Protests Lead to Lasting Change?

NAACP President Derrick Johnson said during his organization’s virtual town hall also held Wednesday, “We were all appalled by the display of weakness by the President on Monday.”

Earlier in the week Trump walked to St. Johns Church where he posed with a Bible after having protesters in the area removed as he made his way from the White House. Witnesses say police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. Congressional leaders from both political parties criticized the President’s decision to remove protesters, violating their First Amendment Right, for a photo opportunity.

New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, a former Democratic presidential candidate, described a mood of bi-partisan cooperation on Capitol Hill.

“The openness of my colleagues to work with us…is extraordinary right now,” Booker said. “This could be a year that marks great, tremendous change. We’ve gotta keep the pressure on.”

Congresswoman Val Demings also participated in the virtual town hall held by the NAACP. The former Orlando, Florida police chief called for banning neck restraints and applauded the Minneapolis police chief’s handling of the case.

“Think about another moment you have seen police officers arrested and charged as quickly as we have [in this case]?” said Demings, who is being vetted as a possible Vice-Presidential candidate for the presumptive Democratic Presidential nominee, Joe Biden.

The swift decisions of Minneapolis leaders coupled with the persistence of protesters have created a moment for change, and Demings said she is “encouraged.”

Johnson, from the NAACP, stated, “We consider the way forward is structural change through public policy.”

As cities enforced curfews and braced for more protests, leaders in social justice organizations identified the historical significance of the time, promising to “harness the energy” for long-term, systemic change.