It’s been less than a week since the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin came to a close. After over a month of defense, deliberation and prosecution, Chauvin, whose actions on May 25, 2020, resulting in the death of George Floyd painted the narrative of the trial, was convicted on counts of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The murder sparked historic civil rights momentum as the Black Lives Matter movement — started on social media in 2013 after the acquittal of George Zimmerman for the death of Trayvon Martin — became the rallying cry of millions across the country calling for justice and systemic police reform.
The Chauvin verdict has been championed by rights activists as a necessary step in the much larger goal of nationwide justice. Meanwhile, those historically in support of law enforcement authorities and organizations have remained mostly silent. For example, on Twitter — the apparent face of political commentary in the modern United States — commentary about the Chauvin trial is divided on party lines. Of the current 100 US Senators, just over half of them mentioned the trial verdict in any way shape and form, most of whom lauded it as a victory for the country and its justice system. There were less than half a dozen Republican senators who made any public comment about the historic trial on Twitter: of these are Rob Portman of Ohio and Tim Scott of South Carolina, both of which were careful to avoid any suggestion of necessary systemic change, treating the trial as an isolated incident.
So, with this verdict mirroring the cries of millions that stretched throughout the summer and the PEW research center finding that a majority of Black Lives Matters supporters being between the ages of 18–29, The Quad decided to gauge public sentiment of these events from West Chester University students, organizations and local politicians.
For many West Chester students, the first local connection they received with the trial, outside of the summer of protests and public demonstrations that called for it, came in the form of email. Prior to the final verdict, yet on the same day as its announcement, West Chester University President Christopher Fiorentino addressed the gravity of the situation, invoking the words of both Frederick Douglass as well as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “I have absolutely no doubt,” wrote Fiorentino, “that [Frederick Douglass] would advise us to do what we know in our hearts is right and just, act as the catalyst for U.S. social change and voice our solidarity against racial injustice.” Reaching out to his large progressive student base, the president would go on to insist on a “Golden Ram family committed to the inclusion of all.”
These were sentiments generally mirrored, yet to a more specific degree, by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, who would go further and insist that “true justice won’t come until we do the hard work of changing policing and ending centuries of discriminatory and traumatic policymaking.” Similar comments were made by Democratic Senator Bob Casey, who referred to United States policing as a “broken system” but not his fellow senator Republican Pat Toomey, who was one of many in his party to make no comment on the incident.
These statements are likely singular in what is to become a long line of police reformative measures. This is especially true considering that the trials for the other three officers assisting Derek Chauvin, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao, are set to begin on Aug. 23, in the same building in Hennepin County.
Matthew Shimkonis is a second-year History major with a minor in Journalism. MS925373@wcupa.edu