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Apparently, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has finally stopped playing around in Black people’s faces and claiming he’s innocent of murdering George Floyd. The writing has been on the wall for Chauvin since back in June when he was convicted in state court of murdering Floyd and sentenced to more than 20 years in prison. But on Wednesday, the killer cop who should have been locked away long ago pleaded guilty to federal charges that he violated Floyd’s civil rights after he had previously pleaded not guilty.

According to the Washington Post, Chauvin was asked by U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson if he understood that his pleading guilty means, legally, this is the end of the road. (If you sang that in the tune of Boyz II Men, don’t feel bad, we all did.)

“You understand that there is no right to appeal to a higher court? This is the end of it?” Magnuson asked, to which Chauvin responded, “Yes, your honor.”

As part of the plea deal, Chauvin also admitted to violating the civil rights of a 14-year-old Black child in 2017 when he rendered the teen unconscious after hitting him in the head with a flashlight and then kneeling on his neck for a whopping 17 minutes while the boy shouted, “I can’t breathe.” (Derek Chauvin is basically the Bizarro World Colin Kaepernick. One kneels in the name of equality while the other kneels on the necks of negroes in the name of oppression and Black breathlessness.)

According to CNN, “prosecutors are requesting that Chauvin be sentenced to 300 months in prison, or 25 years, to be served concurrently with his sentence on state murder charges.” That means, Chauvin won’t be serving more than a few years over what he was already sentenced to serve if the prosecution’s request is granted, but at least we know Chauvin won’t be able to appeal his way out of accountability.

 

At any rate, Floyd’s family members appear to be generally satisfied with Wednesday’s outcome.

“This is big, because a blue wall fell, and it never falls,” Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd told CNN outside the courtroom.

Philonise also said he “can never really feel closure about anything because it’s so much happening all around the world.”

“I think about George every day. George, you know, he was special to us, he was somebody who we loved,” he continued. “But I understand all these other families have people that are dying, are being murdered, every day. The possibility of closure, I don’t think none of these families can have closure. We just want accountability because we can’t get justice for somebody who is dead, you know, somebody who is murdered already.”

In a joint statement sent to BOSSIP, civil attorney Ben Crump and Floyd’s family’s legal team said the following:

“As our nation continues to grapple with the demons of our past and present, historic days make us hopeful for our future. Today is one such day. Before the tragic and needless death of George Floyd, there was little expectation that a white police officer would ever be held accountable for murdering a Black man. But when Derek Chauvin was held to account, the jury – and people across the country – finally said enough was enough. Thanks to marches and cries for justice echoing through our streets, and the courage and wisdom of a jury, significant change is afoot. Not only did we see it with the conviction in a Minnesota state court, but we also now see it at the federal level in the form of landmark civil rights charges. And we expect to see it in the sentencing, as well.

Derek Chauvin callously knelt on the neck of George Floyd for nine minutes and twenty-nine seconds, clearly violating his civil and human rights by robbing him of breath and life. For that, he should spend the rest of his life behind bars, just as a Black man would for a similar act. Likewise, Chauvin’s accomplices, who will face trial in January of next year, should be held accountable for their actions to the fullest extent of the law. “While in many ways today is a victory for the interest of justice, we will never forget its cost. George Floyd was a son, a brother, and a father – a father who, as Gianna Floyd put it, ‘changed the world.’ We all play a role in keeping his legacy alive. We must all keep marching. We must all keep fighting against injustice. We must do this for George, to ensure that his one life and shocking death will change the future for countless others.”

 

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