Equity Lab: Derek Chauvin found guilty. Sacramento, we want to hear from you
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Hello Equity Lab faithful,
It’s April 21, 2021, and I am Marcus D. Smith the Black Communities reporter for the Sacramento Bee’s Equity Lab.
On Tuesday, a jury found Derek Chauvin, an ex-cop in Minnesota, guilty on all 3 charges — holding him accountable for the murder of George Floyd.
I’ve spoken with community activists and local leaders who have expressed that the guilty verdict is only the beginning. Activists have stressed that it’s up to the people to capitalize and continue to apply pressure on local officials to advocate for the changes communities want to see in how the policing system operates.
I’ve heard some communities express satisfaction with the results from the verdict and have compared the trial to that of Emmett Till in 1955, which had a much different outcome. There was evidence of injustice, and the two men responsible for the brutal murder of Till were not charged. The lack of accountability then sparked riots throughout the United States.
I have also heard comparisons of Derek Chauvin’s trial to that of Rodney King, who was beaten profusely by the Los Angeles police department — on camera. Those cops were acquitted of all charges, sparking the infamous LA Riots and protests across the country.
Prior to the announcement of the verdict, I received a voicemail from a 74-year-old resident of Roseville. This woman was 8 years old when a mob of white men killed Till and 46 years old when the LAPD officers who beat King were acquitted. She expressed concern for our country’s humanity if we did not do right by George Floyd.
Well, with a guilty decision — on all charges — we took a step in the right direction. The question is now: How do we keep the accountability going to continue the path toward justice?
The Sacramento Bee and I are interested in hearing your thoughts. Let us know by filling out this Google Form. Let your voice be heard!
-Marcus D. Smith, Black Communities Reporter
Here’s what else you need to know this week:
Must-Read Stories
SACRAMENTO REACTS TO VERDICT IN GEORGE FLOYD’S DEATH: A jury on Tuesday found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all three charges in the death of George Floyd, a Black man who was pinned to the pavement with Chauvin’s knee on his neck for 9½ minutes. Floyd’s death nearly a year ago at the hands of the fired officer led to numerous protests in Sacramento and throughout the United States last summer and prompted a nationwide call for police reform and an intense scrutiny of police use-of-force tactics. As the nation heard Tuesday’s reading of the verdict just after 2 p.m. from the Chauvin trial in Minneapolis, Stevante Clark, the older brother of Stephon Clark who was shot and killed by Sacramento police in 2018, fell to the ground as he hugged his cousin, Steven Ray Collins, with extreme joy. [Read more here]
SACRAMENTO HIRES FIRST INSPECTOR GENERAL: Sacramento has hired Dwight White, a former investigator at Chicago’s civilian agency that probes police misconduct, to serve as the city’s first inspector general to review use-of-force cases involving the police department. The new job — created in the wake of racial unrest last summer after the police killing of George Floyd — is intended to bring greater transparency to a local police department that has faced its own reckoning in the years following the high-profile killing of Stephon Clark, an unarmed Black man. [Read more here]
REHIRING LAID OFF WORKERS: Some California employers when rehiring will have to offer jobs first to the former workers they laid off during the coronavirus pandemic under a law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom Friday. Those employers include hotels, large event centers and airports, as well as janitorial, security and maintenance workers at commercial buildings. Companies would have to offer jobs only for a position that’s the same or similar to what their workers had before their layoff, according to the bill. [Read more here]
WORKING-AGE LATINO IMMIGRANTS MORE LIKELY TO DIE FROM COVID: The COVID-19 pandemic was even deadlier for working-age Latino immigrants than previously known, according to a recent University of Southern California study. Latino immigrants, between the ages of 20 and 54, are nearly 11.6 times more likely to die from the virus than U.S.-born people who are not Latino, according to the study. [Read more here]
More Interesting Reads
Whether Derek Chauvin is guilty or not, Sacramento activists expect people to hit streets | The Sacramento Bee
Sacramentans mourn Sikh victims of Indianapolis shooting, condemn Asian hate in vigil | The Sacramento Bee
Here’s what to expect from the Chauvin trial closing arguments | VICE News
This company monitors prisoners in Xinjiang. It won An “Innovation” award at an event sponsored by Amazon. | Buzzfeed News
These are the victims of the FedEx facility shooting | BuzzFeed News
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What we’re listening to (and you should, too!)
It feels like almost every day we are confronting what I like to call news that points out the worst of human behaviors or more simply, “bad news”. Sometimes, it can get overwhelming to consume all of the unfortunate events, whether it’s Georgia restricting voting rights, or children being shot and killed by police officers — sometimes, we just need a break and time to check in on how we feel about ourselves, our interior lives and our communities.
I’ve really enjoyed listening to the “Okay, Now Listen” podcast from Scottie Beam and Sylvia O’bell. It’s like listening in on unabashed, unfiltered, and vulnerable girl chat. The episode I found particularly enduring was one of the most recent episodes on body image. The conversation style is inviting and a bit triggering but it feels good to refocus on self for an hour out of the day.
Scottie and Sylvia are the perfect duo and if you get some free time and want to check in with self and leave the world’s problems at the door, I invite you to listen.
- Keiona Williamson, Editor
Where to find us
❗ We want to hear from you! Please send us your story tips and thoughts to equitylab@sacbee.com.
➡️ You can also follow us on Instagram and Twitter, and like us on Facebook at @EquityLabSac.
Thank you for reading, and we will see you again next week!
Like this newsletter? Forward it to a friend and help us get the word out. They can sign up here.
This story was originally published April 21, 2021 at 1:26 PM.