Black Columbus leaders react to Chauvin verdict. ‘It feels like we are human again.’
Black Columbus leaders and social justice advocates are praising a jury’s decision to convict former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on all charges in the death of George Floyd.
Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter following a more than two-week trial.
Floyd’s murder led to outrage, sparking protests, marches and rallies across the United States in the summer of 2020. In Columbus, his death spawned peaceful marches and demonstrations calling for an end to police brutality and generations of racial injustice.
Some who spoke with the Ledger-Enquirer said they were surprised guilty verdicts were returned given a history of denied justice in similar cases. Others said the verdicts represented a turning point for law enforcement accountability. They pointed to similar cases in Columbus and called for reforms.
Tonza Thomas, chair of Muscogee County Democratic Committee
Thomas said she was overjoyed at the verdict, but cautioned that this was just a “first step.” Thomas drew parallels between Floyd’s death and several Columbus cases.
Thomas mentioned the case of Kenneth Walker, a Black Columbus man who was shot and killed by a sheriff’s deputy in 2003 in a case of mistaken identity. Thomas also mentioned 30-year-old Hector Arreola, who died in 2017 one day after a struggle with Columbus police. Arreola stated 16 times that he couldn’t breathe as an officer sat on him for more than two minutes while Arreola was handcuffed.
“It’s a very good day, and it gives people the opportunity to say if a cop murders somebody on the streets of Columbus, you won’t have to worry about this cop not being arrested,” Thomas said. “Police can no longer hide behind the blue code of silence. They can no longer hide behind the shield.”
Calvin Smyre, Dean of the Georgia House of Representatives
Coverage of the trial could be heard in the background as Smyre spoke with the Ledger-Enquirer Tuesday. He said the verdicts represent a turning point for law enforcement accountability.
Smyre said he is a believer in law enforcement and advocates for “sensible policing and more community policing.”
Smyre was key in passing a new hate crimes law in June 2020 and reforming Georgia’s citizen’s arrest statue earlier this year. Both were measures taken following the death of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man who was shot while jogging near Brunswick, Georgia.
“It was a senseless murder. It was totally uncalled for,” he said regarding Floyd. “How you continue to address our criminal justice system is a key component. ...To me, that’s where the dialogue has to continue.”
“Right now, my heart is with the Floyd family,” he added.
Tacara Hemingway, founder of My Black Has a Purpose
Hemingway organized marches and founded the social justice nonprofit My Black Has A Purpose last summer because of Floyd’s death. She was emotional Tuesday evening.
“It feels like we have a purpose. It feels like we’re being heard. It feels like we are being seen. It feels like we are human again,” she said.
But it’s only a first step, she said. Like the Walker and Arreola cases, Hemingway mentioned Jarvis Lykes, a 35-year-old Columbus man who was fatally shot by a trooper with the Georgia State Patrol at the dead-end of Lumpkin Court in 2017.
“Getting out and getting to know the community. Better education and better training (are important,)“ she said. “We’ve had more than enough.”
Adrian Chester, pastor of Greater Beallwood Baptist Church
Chester said he was surprised but somewhat relieved by the guilty verdicts. It sets a precedent that the judicial system will hold police accountable for “blatant and documented” abuses against minority communities, he said.
“This is not a moment to settle but to reengage around the issues of police accountability and communal police oversight,” he said.
Chester said Columbus needs to review its city charter and ensure the document gives the Columbus Council and residents the power to subpoena law enforcement officers regarding misconduct.
The pastor serves on a committee that is reviewing ordinances that could give the city’s Public Safety Advisory Commission subpoena power. Talks regarding this recently resumed, Chester said.
“Without changing our current city charter, anything we do would just be a Band-Aid on something that needs surgery,” he said.
Dr. Curtis Crocker, pastor of Metropolitan Baptist Church
Crocker said the verdicts show progress — a recognition that Chauvin’s actions were excessive and that there are repercussions. But there is still a lot of work to do. Tuesday’s decision doesn’t bring Floyd back, but it gives the country an opportunity to rethink how policing works, he said.
It’s the first step.
“We do need the police department, but we need to hold the police department accountable when there is abusive behavior,” he said.
Wane A. Hailes, Columbus Branch NAACP President
Hailes said Tuesday was an “exceptional day” in a statement he provided to the Ledger-Enquirer, but added that there is still work to be done in Columbus.
“Many are viewing TODAY’S VERDICT as ‘justice....,’ he wrote in the news release. “Let us remember that: Justice will be achieved when legal decisions within a system are rendered in accordance with fair and unbiased processes......consistently. What it will look like then is that ‘no one is above the law.’”
Hailes said that law enforcement can be supported and also be held accountable.
“As we continue to work toward establishing relationships of ‘TRUST’ throughout the Community, a mutual respect is needed and can only happen by caring for ‘All Lives’ ....and devaluing ‘no one.’ That requires a ‘change in mindset.’”
U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop
Bishop, who represents most of Columbus along with portions of middle and southwest Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives, issued the following statement:
“I am grateful justice was served today. In the name of George Floyd and countless other victims, we must work to assure equal justice under the law for every one, every day!”
Tracey Mosley, interim president and CEO of the Urban League of Columbus
In a statement provided to the Ledger-Enquirer, Mosley said justice was served. The trial results show that more Americans are willing to support national efforts to reform communal policing and combat racism.
The guilty verdicts “(renew) our faith and fortifies us for the long-term and continuous struggle for racial justice and equity in the eyes of the law for Black and Brown people throughout the nation,” he said. “We must not stop now. We must keep up the pressure so the long list of Black and Brown people killed by police will cease to grow.”
This story was originally published April 20, 2021 at 8:40 PM.