Mwalimu-G
Elder Lister
Lest we forget...
Stephen Collinson and Caitlin Hu 'My purpose here is to fight' 
The trial will challenge the US justice system to produce a verdict universally seen as fair after years of discrimination in favor of police in deaths involving Black men. It will also have huge political consequences in a nation struggling to process the meaning of Black Lives Matter protests, let alone the legacy of its original sin. And this case is only one — if highly symbolic — front in the battle for justice for African Americans. The case seems a simple one — after all, the entire world saw excruciating video and photographs last year of Floyd with a police officer’s knee on his neck. Chauvin then appeared indifferent to Floyd’s protests of “I can’t breathe” and “I’m about to die.” Prosecutors have charged him with second-degree unintentional murder and second-degree manslaughter, but the defense is expected to argue that Floyd died from a combination of fentanyl and preexisting health conditions. The intense publicity surrounding Floyd’s death will also make selecting jurors a sensitive task, and the group's racial makeup could affect its credibility in the eyes of the public. The courtroom is already behind a fortress of fences in downtown Minneapolis. A strong police and National Guard garrison will be deployed in case of protests by anti-racism or far-right groups that turn violent. Depending on legal technicalities, jury selection could begin on Tuesday. When the trial begins for real, it will be sure to rip open wounds left unhealed after Floyd’s death -- and start to answer the question of what will be the ultimate tangible outcome of the turbulent summer of 2020 |
