A jury has been selected in the Derek Chauvin trial, the former police officer who snuffed out the life of George Floyd with his knee held on Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. Twelve members of the jury will decide Chauvin’s fate. Three alternates were chosen in the event that any of the twelve jurors might be excused during the trial. The jurors consist of three Black men, one Black woman, two mixed-race women and nine white jurors. It is unclear which jurors represent the initial twelve members of the jury who must weigh the evidence and decide if Chauvin committed second degree murder, third degree murder or manslaughter. The prosecution failed to charge Chauvin with first degree murder. As a former prosecutor, I have tried cases with far less evidence and received convictions of first -degree murder. Of course, my convictions were not against police officers who are rarely charged or convicted of murder or manslaughter. From 2005 to 2020, only five officers were … [Read more...] about Derek Chauvin Defense versus Justice for George Floyd
Black Lives
Justice for George Floyd versus Black Reality
All eyes will be focused on Minneapolis as jury selections begin March 8, 2021 in the trial of Derek Chauvin, former Minneapolis police officer, charged with second degree murder and second degree manslaughter for the death of George Floyd. On May 25, 2020 Chauvin snuffed out Floyd’s life with his knee held on his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds as Floyd cried out nearly thirty times that he couldn’t breathe. Protests started the next day in cities across the country with tens of thousands of protesters and continued into the summer. Caught on video, the case appears to be a slam dunk for a conviction for the prosecution. As a former Baltimore prosecutor, I know the reality is a bitter pill to swallow. Juries rarely convict the few police officers who are charged with the murder or police brutality of unarmed Black people—despite video footage. A conviction will hinge on the jurors who are selected to hear the case. Jury selections are estimated to take several weeks. A jury … [Read more...] about Justice for George Floyd versus Black Reality
Another White Cop Acquitted in Murder of a Black Man
Once again, as we have seen all too often, another white police officer has been acquitted in the murder of a St. Louis Black man, Anthony Lamar Smith. Ex- police officer Jason Stockley was charged with first degree murder in the shooting death of Smith. This 2011 case, like the few others where police officers have even been charged, ended the same way as the officer trials in Freddie Gray, Walter Scott, Jonathan Ferrell and Samuel Dubose cases. They all ended without justice for the murder of a black man. Most end in an acquittal or hung jury without a retrial. There was strong evidence in the Smith case to convict Stockley. First, Mr. Smith was trying to get away from the officer during a police chase in his vehicle. Stockley, apparently outraged at Smith’s actions is heard saying, I’m gonna kill that ___expletive. And less than one minute later, Stockley kept his promise and shot and killed Smith. Stockley later alleged a gun was found in Smith’s car---after going inside … [Read more...] about Another White Cop Acquitted in Murder of a Black Man