The Trial of Modern Day Black History

Stay Strong. I keep finding myself over and over whispering, “Stay strong”. As I watch the beginning of the Derek Chauvin trial, I'm reminded of an extremely important declaration; the future rests in the new generation.

- Leslie A. Lawrence, Owner of The Book Doula

We wore hoodies for Trayvon Martin. We held our hands up for Michael Brown. We watched the Rodney King documentaries. Yet like Eric Garner, we still can’t breathe. On May 25, 2020, the world watched George Floyd die under the knee of Derek Chauvin, a now fired Minneapolis police officer. As he laid prone on the ground squished in between the street pavement and Chauvin’s knee, he pleaded with three police officers for his life, eventually acknowledging “They’re gonna’ kill me”. Today, Derek Chauvin is on trial for his murder.

Day two of the Derek Chauvin murder trial has wrapped up. One thing is for sure, the younger generation has something to say.

Today we heard from a variety of witnesses who were at the scene of 38th and Chicago, which was renamed George Floyd Square, on the evening of May 25, 2020. Donald Williams II, a mixed martial arts professional testified that Chauvin performed what he recognized as a “blood choke” on Floyd. As Floyd was pinned to the ground, Williams testified that Floyd gasped for air, cried for help until his eyes eventually rolled to the back of his head and blood dripped from his nose. During cross examination, the defense questioned Williams about his anger during the incident. Williams admits to feelings of anger, but stated that he remained controlled and professional as the officer knelt on George Floyd’s neck.

The next four witnesses were underage at the time of the murder, so there names and faces will not be revealed to the public, but they still made sure that there voices were heard.

On that spring evening in May, a seventeen year old young lady and her nine year old cousin were walking to Cup Foods, a neighborhood store. They were a part of a growing crowd that feared for the life of George Floyd, a 46 year old black man who was accused of a using a counterfeit $20 bill. She testified that she witnessed Floyd crying while begging for help. She witnessed him cry out for his mother and also describes a firefighter who came on the scene, asking multiple times to help Floyd because she feared he was not breathing. The young lady goes on to say that Derek Chauvin then threatened the crowd with mace if they attempted to help Floyd. “I felt like I was in Danger”, she replied when asked if she felt threatened by Chauvin. She became audibly uncomfortable during the questioning, but ultimately conquered the witness stand. Her nine year old cousin also testified. She used the words, “mad” and “sad” when asked about how the incident made her feel. She testified to watching Chauvin kneel on George Floyd’s neck even after the ambulance had arrived.

Another seventeen year old child testified to seeing the same scene as the other witnesses, and added that she “felt like she should’ve done something”. An underaged friend of this witness also took the stand to say that she was afraid of Chauvin. She gave her phone to her friend to record what was happening because she felt like that was the only way she could use her voice to help George Floyd. Floyd was unconscious when she came on to the scene and when she arrived she saw Chauvin continuing to kneel on Floyds’ neck despite him not moving or breathing. She was not cross examined.

Minneapolis firefighter Genevieve Hansen was the final witness for today. Officers on the scene last year would not let her help despite her identifying herself as a medically trained professional. She is heard on the video several times asking officers to check his pulse because Floyd wasn’t breathing and identifying herself as a firefighter. Hansen later testified that she never saw the officers check his pulse. In her medical experience, she tells the jury that the response time for the paramedics to get to the scene was "unheard of". She describes feeling “desperate” to get Floyd help. She called 911 on the police officers hoping to report the incident and save Floyd’s life.

What stood out to me was that all of the witnesses in the first two days of the trial were what people would refer to as "Generation X" and "Millennials", yet they gave a heroic face of bravery. As they become a part of not just Black history, but American history, They were unwavering in letting accused murderer Derek Chauvin know, They are not afraid.

Stay Strong. I keep finding myself over and over whispering, “Stay strong”. As I watch the beginning of the Derek Chauvin trial, I'm reminded of an extremely important declaration; the future rests in the new generation.