To me, there was never any doubt that Derek Chauvin would be found guilty, simply because his guilt was so manifestly plain to see. It's not 1992. George Floyd is not Rodney King. We have reached something of an inflection point.
But not a turning point, necessarily.
Chauvin's guilt was established by the video, but his conviction happened because the police and the prosecutor's office could not deny the crime. We have seen cops who kill people get convicted, but only when the Blue Wall of Silence is breached. The fact that multiple members of the police department came forward to testify that Chauvin was not justified in his use of force meant that the defense was reduced to saying, "Who you gonna believe? Me or your lying eyes?"
This means that the issue of police violence - against everyone but especially People of Color - is fundamentally a political one. I don't mean elected officials, except maybe sometimes, yes. What I mean is that this is a societal issue where societal and political pressure to hold police accountable is of paramount importance.
How much this extends to other cops will make a difference as to whether we can change their behavior, which is the most important thing in the end.
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