Photo Credit: Darnella Frazier/Facebook
The most contentious police killing case in recent history has concluded today with officer Derek Chauvin being sentenced to 22.5 years behind bars, not far from the maximum of 30 years. While he didn’t give a statement, he did offer his “condolences” for the Floyd family. “I want to give my condolences to Floyd family, there’s going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest and I hope things will give you some peace of mind,” Chauvin said.
Defense attorney Eric Nelson said that whatever decision is determined, half of the country is going to be torn over it. “It has weaved its way into nearly every facet of our lives, from the entertainment that we consume to the presidential politics,” he said. “From protests to conspiracy theories”.
Chauvin’s mother Carolyn Pawlenty was the only person who spoke on his behalf saying she feared dying before her favorite son is released from prison. “Derek has played over and over in his head the events of that day. I have seen the toll it has taken on him.”
In April Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter following his Minneapolis trial. He’s expected to appeal but he still has A federal civil rights trial to look forward to.
Experiencing this case as someone who recently moved to the South was both eye opening and draining. The commentary was insufferable and having to live around it constantly was ridiculous and surprisingly in a majority black city at that. I’ve both chosen not to look at the social media of anyone in a 10 mile radius within the last year to now choosing not to look at anything below the Mason Dixon line for the next week. Discussions about policing and criminal justice policy simply did not have to take the nasty and divisive direction that they did but here we are.
