Derek Chauvin verdict is a relief. Now California Democrats must pass these police reforms
It only took the jury 10 hours to decide that former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was guilty on all three counts for murdering George Floyd.
The criminal justice system convicted a cop who killed an unarmed Black man. In doing so, it reaffirmed what most of us already knew: that Floyd’s life did, in fact, matter. That message will be heard in every law enforcement office in the country. It will also be heard in the homes of Black and brown families where hope for justice has long been absent.
This is an historic moment in America’s struggle for racial equality. But one just verdict cannot solve a systemic problem. There is a lot of work left to achieve lasting progress, and it is critical that Sacramentans and Californians continue to demand more and better from police officers and politicians.
The large white Capitol building in the heart of downtown Sacramento is a good place to start. It’s under the Capitol dome where, in recent years, lawmakers have allowed the law enforcement lobby to delay the meaningful police reforms that could prevent more citizens from being killed like Mr. Floyd.
The guilty verdict in Chauvin’s case is welcome news, but it’s no substitute for major and necessary police reforms. One verdict in one case cannot distract California from leading the way on fundamental reforms to change how our cities are policed.
Opinion
There are at least 10 police reform bills navigating the legislature in 2021, including most of the proposals that California Democrats allowed to fail last year. That can’t happen again this year.
Senate Bill 2, authored by Sen. Steve Bradford, D-Gardena, would create a decertification process for police and establish a commission that could revoke an officer’s eligibility if they commit serious misconduct or violate a person’s civil rights.
Assembly Bill 26, authored by Assemblyman Chris Holden, D-Pasadena, would require police officers to intervene when another officer is using excessive force. Holden calls it the “George Floyd Law” because Chauvin’s fellow officers did nothing as he murdered Floyd.
Other bills would expand access to police records, disclose law enforcement settlements and protect the rights of lawful protesters. Each will require vocal and powerful support to ensure lawmakers do the right thing and put people’s lives before the interests of law enforcement lobbyists.
California’s elected leaders will no doubt be tweeting their support for the verdict in Chauvin’s trial and expressing solidarity with Black Lives Matter. But Californians need more than performative statements on social media. Politicians who kneel with protesters in front of the cameras and then bow down to police unions behind the scenes are part of the problem.
Chauvin’s conviction provides some small measure of justice for Floyd and his family. Yet we cannot forget how many other families — like the families of Stephon Clark, Breonna Taylor and Sean Monterrosa — have been denied any semblance of accountability or justice.
Such tragedies will repeat in the absence of substantive police reforms. We will be forced to relive the cycle of death, anger and injustice if our elected officials continue to fail in their duty to act.
Today, breathe a brief sigh of relief. Floyd’s murder will not go unpunished. Yet we still have a lot of work to do if we want to make sure he did not die in vain.
Floyd’s death touched the hearts of millions of Americans who have taken to the streets to demand justice and change. In California, the work is just beginning. We must not allow these guilty verdicts to provide cover for a policing system in need of fundamental and systemic change — change that California must fully embrace in 2021.
