Verdict...

 

                                         

The jury came back--- quickly--- with a verdict.  

Chauvrin was found GUILTY of all three charges against in in the killing of George Floyd.

I am relieved. Yet I cannot celebrate. It does not seem like a victory to me at all.  

Yes, a bad cop and even worse person will never walk free. 

But George Floyd is still dead. No matter how the jury would have ruled today, a man died needlessly on camera.  George Floyd's life was snuffed out like a candle-- a candle that will never shine again. 

The conviction of George Floyd's killer is not cause for celebration.  Black and Brown men suffer needless violence by law enforcement every day-- and all that the Chauvrin case gives is some sort of public accountability for one man's deed.  It is my hope that cops everywhere are held to higher standards -- that ONE incident of violence against offenders of color is one incident too many. 

As a White person, I must again own the reality that cops are " safe people" for me and other people who share my skin tone. While I did not ask to be born White-- the fact is that the lack of melanin in my skin allows me to regard police as " safe". 

I am not a parent, but I am an Aunt. As my gorgeous nephew grows up, I pray for protection for him--  a protection that other Aunts need not pray for their nephews. 

I am also mindful of the wonderful Black men { and their families} who have been like brothers to me since they were freshmen in college. Their experience in America is wildly different from mine, and to pretend otherwise is not valuing Black lives. 

In an online discussion several weeks back,  someone said that Christians who are seriously working to be antiracist is a lot like living out our Baptismal promises-- each day we begin again. For sure, my own journey is one of constantly remining myself of my own privilege. 

But no one ever promised that prophetic work is easy. Changing a corrupt, cruel, outdated system is a process and an art.  Like practicing a faith, antiracism work requires constant delving into study. We White people have been conditioned by society to only look at current and historical events through the lens of Whiteness & I am a guilty as the next person . 

More than one person has asked me why I " always talk about race.". The answer is simple: in order to work for justice for ALL persons, we White people need to become mindful of other narratives.  I've been involved in antiracism work for several years-- and owning up to my own privilege never gets easier. I make mistakes. However, no one can accuse me of ' not caring" or " being silent".  In the throes of COVID life-- all many of us had as antiracism tools were words. 

Listening to others' words and using MY words to communicate my thoughts along my own journey. 

George Floyd should still be alive. He was lynched . 

Society-wide reform is needed if Americans will ever cure the cancer of systemic racism. All I can do is live out my Baptismal promise by continuing to be a voice for change. As we slowly come back to in-person gatherings, I'll be more action-oriented in my work. 

Black Lives Matter. 

Sarah McCarren

April 20 2021.