When a Minneapolis jury returned a guilty verdict on all three charges against former police officer Derek Chauvin for killing Mr. George Floyd, most of America breathed a sigh of relief. The senseless murder of Floyd at the hands of police last year resulted in protests and riots worldwide calling for justice.
Although Chauvin was the defendant in the courtroom, in many people’s minds, America’s justice system was on trial, too. The law enforcement community universally condemned the officer’s actions involved in Floyd’s death that day.
Still, without a conviction, the rhetoric would mean very little to the community, especially Black people. George Floyd’s murder was one time the cops weren’t exempt from the law; there was no qualified immunity. But what does it mean for the future of police reform?