On May 24 2020 The United States was changed forever. An innocent black man by the name of George Floyd was murdered by an on-duty Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin. From the jump, the case seemed a little fishy due to the fact that Chauvin did not have a direct reason to even stop Floyd in the first place. Sources say that the two had known each other prior to their interaction which involved alleged ‘illegal activity.’
Derek Chauvin was recently sentenced by a judge to a maximum of 22.5 years, 270 months, in prison for his second-degree unintentional murder charge. The judge stated that the ex-officers actions were considered to come from a place “without respect and denied him [George Floyd] the dignity owed to all human beings.” While being a hundred percent correct on Chauvins intentions, Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill has placed him in Oak Park Heights Prison located in the killer’s own state of Minnesota. He also denied probation for the 45-year-old murder in a simple sentence he made stating, “a probationary sentence would be disproportionate and understate the severity of Mr. Chauvin’s offense.”
It has been over a year since this tragedy outraged the world and ever since then all people have been asking for is a little bit of justice. Let’s be honest, if this were an average white man, authorities would have swiftly taken action and came up with a solution that best fits both parties; maybe the victim would have never even been stopped, to begin with. Systematic racism is still very much alive in today’s climate, especially within the legal system, which seems to be the main reason why this case has taken so long to finally close.
His trial was held on June 25, 2021, as justice was finally served to not only Floyd’s family and friends but to the entire world as well. Do not think the remaining three officers who stood by Chauvin’s side and watched him murder this innocent man has gotten away. Their trial will soon be held on August 23 and they can be facing anywhere up to 10 years in prison for aiding and abetting a criminal offense if found guilty.