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The verdict is in. The criminal justice system worked to hold one man accountable for the heartless murder of another man. That should not be something we have to celebrate. That is what a just system does.
But the American criminal justice system very rarely works justly for Black, brown, and indigenous people. Even with this conviction, we still do not have justice. George Floyd’s children will grow up without a father. Those who love him will never stop feeling the void of his loss. So, while the conviction of a murdering cop is gratifying, it is not justice.
Seeing this murderer spend the remainder of his natural life in a cage solves nothing. He will not magically become a decent human being. He will likely never see that he was not ENTITLED to kill a Black man. Prison does not create justice.
Justice requires the dismantling of a carceral state designed to kneel on the necks of anyone not part of the white ruling class. Justice demands abolition of the entire system. Tangible movement toward abolition includes ending qualified immunity, creating transparency for police disciplinary records, moving toward unarmed responders for 911 calls for assistance, and creating genuine accountability for law-enforcement officers. Justice looks like policies, procedures, and laws that make sure that we never have another murder like the one of George Floyd.
As gratifying as this verdict may feel, a 15-year-old Black girl in Ohio was being shot in the chest four times by police because she was holding a knife — at the same time the guilty verdict was announced. We must continue to fight. Until every Black, brown and indigenous person in this country does not feel the quickening of their pulse and the possibility of their murder simply because they see a police car pull behind them, we must continue to fight.
Emancipate NC is prepared to continue the fight. We will stand with, next to, and behind the people as they demand equity, transparency, and fairness. We will continue the fight to end systemic and institutional racism until we no longer have to force people to see the humanity of Black, brown, and indigenous people.
Together, we will fight. Together, we will win.