Path to Justice

By: Zoe Howes '21

(Image courtesy of dw.com)

I have tried to write this over and over again but every time I have to delete it, wipe my eyes, and walk away from the computer. I first wanted to preface by saying that George Floyd should be alive today. He should be at home with his girlfriend and daughter. He should be going to work. He should be standing here today. But he isn’t. As everyone knows by now his life was taken by police officer Derek Chauvin. He was murdered by the force that is supposed to protect us. And last month that murderer was put on trial.

At the beginning of Chauvin’s trial, I was nervous. I mean when you look at past cases we keep seeing the justice system continue to fail us. The hardest part of it all was watching the videos that were presented as evidence. I will always remember George Floyd’s voice as he yelled, “I can’t breathe.” I still can feel the chills that ran up my spine as the video filled my T.V. screen. When the day finally came around for the verdict to be announced, no one in my house could sit still. Our eyes were glued to the news the entire day.

Then came the verdict. Derek Chuvain was found guilty on all three accounts. He was found “guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd.” You could hear a pin drop when those words were stated. Finally, it felt like our society was on the path of justice. Hopefully, this will prove to people that justice needs to be served on all cases, from Breonna Taylor to Eric Garner, because their lives mattered too.

I wanted to say that this does not give people a chance to brush off racism. This is only the beginning. It is seriously time for us to wake up and give all those justice that still need it. I am tired of having to be scared of the police force. I am tired of having to see my people suffer everyday. This needs to end. Stop saying it and start acting on it. Wake up. Don’t just sign the petitions, or post on social media. Check in on your POC friends. Show them the love and support that they deserve. It's time for our world to change.