In the aftermath of the conviction of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who was found guilty by the jury for the death of George Floyd, members of the MFS community had strong opinions about the long-awaited verdict.
BREAKING
Jury reaches verdict at trial over George Floyd's death
🔗https://t.co/m5RagkCEJl pic.twitter.com/9uEu1hwYsv
— The World (@TheWorld) April 20, 2021
“I was shocked that it took so long to [convict Chauvin], but I’m relieved that [Floyd’s] family was able to get justice,” said Alizeh Hussain ’24.
Shay O’Connor ’23 felt similarly: “I was happy that justice had been served, and I was happy that [the conviction] happened.”
Aani Desai ‘22 agreed that the verdict “is a step in the right direction,” but added that “in no way is it justice.” She said she hopes that in the future, this precedent will “encourage more police accountability and lead to the ending of these senseless killings.”
Adults in the community, like history teacher Josh Weinstein, said they felt a similar sense of consolation. But, Weinstein acknowledged that there is a lack of understanding regarding the importance of the verdict among his students. He stated that he engaged in conversation with students during an advisory period after the verdict was announced, but that there were “lulls in the conversation with students that either show, again, not necessarily understanding the importance or gravity of that decision.”
Weinstein also expressed concern with the level of awareness that students possess about the significance of the trial’s outcome and the history of police. “I just don’t know if we’ve done enough, in fact I know we haven’t done enough as a school, as a society, to fully understand [topics surrounding police violence and systemic racism],” said Weinstein.
Although the verdict is overwhelmingly welcomed by the community, students and faculty alike expressed concern that there is more progress that needs to be made relating to police system reform.
O’Connor said, “It is certainly a nice, positive step forward, but there are more steps to go.”
