Chauvin verdict says things have changed. Continued police killings say: “Not that much” | Editorial

This one time, it was different. Finally.

After weeks of testimony, a verdict was about to be read out loud in a somber courtroom where another white police officer stood accused of unjustly killing another Black man.

Black Americans are too familiar with the bitter anticipation that prevails at such moments.

This time, a jury found ex-officer Derek Chauvin guilty on each of the three counts lodged against him: Second-degree murder. Third-degree murder. Manslaughter.

Suddenly, a tragedy once defined by three words — “I can’t breathe” — was now defined by three others: Guilty, guilty, guilty.

Seldom in America have police officers been convicted of questionable killings of Black citizens.

The Minneapolis jury found ex-officer Derek Chauvin guilty of taking the life of George Floyd last May, when, in the midst of a pandemic, a crippled America erupted into massive demonstrations over the horrific way Floyd died: Chauvin’s knee pressing down on his neck as Floyd begged for help for more than nine minutes.

Ring of familiarity

For long-time Miami-Dade residents, the case of a white police officer on trial for killing a Black man must trigger memories of the Arthur McDuffie case and the terrible days that followed. On May 18, 1980, four police officers were acquitted by an all-white jury of murdering McDuffie, a Black insurance businessman.

McDuffie, 33, who was on a motorcycle, was beaten to death by police after a high-speed chase.

The police initially said his injuries occurred when he crashed the motorcycle but the medical examiner said he appeared to have been beaten, his skull “cracked like an egg.”

When the verdict, from a Tampa jury, was announced, rage swept over the city of Miami. By the time the McDuffie riots, as they came to be known, had ended, 18 people had died and more than $100 million in property had been destroyed. Miami was never the same.

Things have changed, but not that much.

Biden, Harris weigh in

“This verdict is much too rare,” said President Joe Biden, the event so momentous he addressed the nation, along with Vice President Kamala Harris, following Tuesday’s verdict. “This is a giant step toward justice in America.”

The president said a confluence of events united to make it happen: a diverse and brave jury; witnesses who videotaped Chauvin; officers who criticized Chauvin’s actions.

Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said, “What Derek Chauvin did to George Floyd, was not only cold-blooded murder, but also a horrific dereliction of his duties, a dishonor to the men and women who have committed to serve and protect humanity, and an affront to communities throughout the country,” said Fernandez Rundle, who has long been criticized for not charging local officers involved in fatal shootings.

Among those raising their voices was new Miami Police Chief Art Acevedo, who spoke to the media after Tuesday’s verdict.

“Justice has been served,” he told reporters. “Law enforcement, by an large, saw the same thing the jury saw, and the same thing the Floyd family saw, and that was a murder. The death of George Floyd was unjustified.”

Acevedo didn’t mince words, fortunately, which should put his own department on notice.

This story was originally published April 21, 2021 at 6:00 AM.