553
Shelley Walia
Professor Emeritus, Department of English, Panjab University
Derek Chauvin, a former American police officer, was recently convicted of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last year. Though the verdict received an earsplitting response that resounded across the world, this is not the end of long-ingrained racism in America, even as Chauvin has now sought a new trial.
The shooting of 21-year-old Daunte Wright in the same week as the trial has made many skeptical of any radical change in the mindset of the overzealous police force that is habitual of using pepper spray, tear gas, and rubber bullets at the smallest of provocations. Attacks on mediapersons are common. Chicago recently saw the shooting of Laquan McDonald in the back and the video conveniently disappeared; in North Charleston, we saw on video a police officer shoot Walter Scott in the back, and a Taser, a non-lethal electroshock weapon, dropped near his body to imply theft. All cases ended in a mistrial.