The emblematic George Floyd Case: what could be the consequences of this trial?

Today not only begins the trial against Derek Chauvin for the case George Floyd, but also against the “bigotry, white supremacy and complacency”. That is the opinion of Patrisse Cullors, one of the founders of the movement Black Lives Matter.

The video in which the police officer Chauvin pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck triggered that “15 million people”Took to the streets to protest racism in the United States. Since then, what has been demanded is an end to the apparent impunity, an exemplary punishment.

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Cullors notes the story has not been fair to the African-American community, but that the demands will not abate. Justice “will heal, liberate and eradicate white supremacy”.

“We have already experienced this, we have already seen how the fate of an officer with blood on his hands is decided. Jamar Clark, Philando Castlie and George Floyd. Those are the names of black people illegally murdered by Minneapolis police since 2015”Adds the activist.

The figures, indeed, are alarming. According to the Vox portal, from 2013 to 2019, there were 1,944 African American deaths (children, adults and adolescents) at the hands of the police: of these cases, only 3% ended up with an accusation to the officers, and less than 1% ended in conviction.

What does that 1% explain? Vox takes as an example the case of the police Darren Wilson, charged with shooting teenager Michael Brown in Missouri, and who was not tried for murder.

“A vital element in that case, and in similar cases, is whether the officers’ decision was reasonable. […] For this to be legal, he must believe that the target is a threat to his own life, someone else’s, or escaping a crime”Says the portal.

Namely, it is enough that the authority has felt in danger to pull the trigger, “no matter if he finally got it wrong”.

The historian and international analyst Norberto Barreto critically explains this way of thinking: “In United States there is a sad tradition of not condemning the police for this reason that they sacrifice themselves and that they represent the authority”, He says.

But there is more. For Barreto, there is a particular link between the police and those in charge of prosecuting them that can be explained by the popular phrase “otorongo no come otorongo”.

“The police are protected, and not just because their unions are very important. They and the prosecutors have a very close relationship and see each other almost daily; therefore, it can be understood that they do not want to risk those ties”, He says.

A LAW TO CHANGE THE LANDSCAPE

In all this context, the Argentine political analyst based in the US Hernán Molina recalls the existence of the George Floyd Bill, which seeks to make reforms that prevent abuses by the police.

“They want to modify how the officers should act, if there is immunity. But also about what happens if a police officer is sanctioned since, now, the record does not follow the officer if he decides to change department. That is, you can treat people badly with almost no implications”, He notes.

The problem with this initiative, adds Molina, is whether it will be approved by the Senate. According to him, 60 votes are needed for the law to come to fruition, but Democrats barely have 50 plus one, which is the vote of Vice President Kamala Harris.

But while that project is being discussed, the trial against Derek Chauvin will follow and possibly end in a matter of a month.

Molina adds: “In the event that Chauvin is declared innocent, it will mean a return to frustration, because his attitude was obviously criminal and against an African American. I think that’s the look of most people in America. That scenario will only reinforce the perception that African Americans are at a disadvantage compared to white people.”.

In this regard, Barreto maintains that “eThe original sin of slavery is still a very great burden“For American society, that”still divided” about the topic.

For the specialist, what is currently being experienced in the United States is a kind of truce: after the departure of Donald Trump, Joe Biden came to power with Kamala Harris, a vice president of African American descent and with a very different speech than in recent years. This has calmed the waters.

“But the results of the trial can have strong consequences. If Chauvin is found innocent, there will be protests that can turn violent, either by elements of the African-American rights movement itself or by the penetration of groups that seek to discredit Black Lives Matter”.

The police will also play an important role, as their reaction to the marches will also affect the level of violence. “They, in a way, with their attitude, provoke her”, Barreto notes.

And if well a guilty plea from Chauvin would mean justice for those who claim it for minorities, would also generate an opposite reaction. Barreto thinks of radicals and racial supremacists.

“There is a very strong element of politicization, and in a society as volatile and polarized as that of the United States, all possible scenarios will have consequences, and not necessarily good ones.”, He concludes.

Molina, for example, fears a scenario similar to that experienced in 1992, when a group of police officers was acquitted of guilt, even though there was a video in which they appeared beating the African-American taxi driver Rodney King.

“As part of the protests, the people of Los Angeles ended up setting fire to their own neighborhoods.“, remember.

The possibility is not so remote. According to the statements of some of the members of the Minnesota Freedom Fighters –Armed group formed after Floyd’s assassination and whose objective is to protect African-American communities–, if Chauvin is found innocent “Many people will be angry”.

“Unfortunately, I think we will have to be summoned. I don’t know if it will be a riot or an attack, I feel like it could be anything. They have to be prepared“He told The Globe Post portal.