Dear John.
Yesterday, we watched the first day of Derek Chauvin’s trial. The witness testimonies were emotional, disturbing and a harsh reminder of the violent last moments of George Floyd’s life.
Witness after witness confirmed what we already knew. Derek Chauvin targeted George Floyd on May 25th, 2020, knelt on his neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds without relief and murdered Mr. Floyd in broad daylight as fellow officers and bystanders looked on.
George Floyd should be alive today, but he is not because Derek Chauvin murdered him.
This trial will be full of this disinformation. There are many players in this trial who are going to try and victim-blame Mr. Floyd -- including Chauvin’s lawyers and the Police Federation of Minneapolis who hired them. They are going to slander Mr. Floyd’s name and portray him as a criminal in a brazen but predictable attempt to justify Chauvin’s actions. They will attempt to justify the violent and excessive use of force by the police. We need to be prepared to stand in solidarity with George Floyd’s family in centering his humanity and the full life he lived.
There is no justification for murder. Derek Chauvin is the one standing trial, not George Floyd. If we’re loud enough together, we can make sure everyone knows it. The police union will do anything to avoid accountability and continue to allow police to kill people with impunity. At one point yesterday, Chauvin’s lawyers tried to blame Mr. Floyd’s death on the bystanders who were shouting for Chauvin to release him.
We’re telling you this not to discourage you but to make sure our community is prepared to fight for justice. We need to reiterate to our communities and beyond that Mr. Floyd is a human being. He was a father, brother, cousin, and friend to many. He loved football, basketball and loved Lebron James. And, he was a member and mentor of the Minneapolis community.
Throughout this trial, we’ll be here and we’ll be in touch. We will combat disinformation and call out those who spread it, we will hold our collective trauma, and we will work towards a future where Black people are not murdered at the hands of the state. But we can’t do it without you.
Let’s use our voices together to make sure the evidence is loud and clear: There’s only one reason why George Floyd died: Chauvin murdered him.
Share the “George is a human” graphic now.
Chauvin’s trial, at its core, is about the toxic culture of anti-Black racism and violence that belies local police departments nationwide. We need to upend this culture, divest from violent, militarized police forces, and invest in community-led safety solutions to protect Black lives.
Until Justice Is Real,
Scott, Rashad, Arisha, Malachi, Erika, Megan, Ernie, Palika, Madison, Ariel, Trevor, Ana, McKayla, and the rest of the Color Of Change team.
Color Of Change is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black folks and our allies, and win real social and political change. Please help keep our movement strong.
