The Verdict

Dear BUSSW community, 

As we process the news of the guilty verdict for Derek Chauvin, our thoughts are with the family of George Floyd, and all the families who have lost loved ones due to institutional racism and white supremacy.  This act of accountability belongs to the movement; to the millions of people who marched, demonstrated, and shut things down for us to get to this moment.  Today, we hope this experience of accountability brings some level of peace to all.

Tomorrow let’s continue our work to transform every single institution that is infected with racism; the entire criminal punishment system is guilty and needs to be recreated. To quote the brilliant scholar Keeanga Yamahtta Taylor: “Whatever happens with this verdict, nothing has changed the underlying conditions allowing for the murder of Floyd in the first place. The killing of Wright & Toledo within the last month assure that without the annihilation of the criminal punishment system, we will be here again.”

The New York Times reported that the police kill an average of three individuals a day.  Few officers are charged with murder or manslaughter when they kill people in the line of duty; when they are charged, they are rarely convicted.  

Derek Chauvin’s trial was historic because so many people are waking up to the toxic messages of white supremacy and racial capitalism; we are slowly shifting the dominant narratives around policing and what “safety” needs to look like. Millions of people support dismantling oppressive systems and are actively on the road to building a better world. 

George Floyd: Presente.

In solidarity,

Dean Delva

Dawn Belkin Martinez, Associate Dean for E&I

BUSSW E&I Committee