By Susan MacLaury

Like many of you, I followed Derek Chauvin’s trial on charges that he had caused George Floyd’s death nightly on the evening news and was watching when the verdicts were announced yesterday. I was relieved that the center held. The jury accepted their very difficult challenge and demonstrated the grace necessary to agree on the verdict of all three charges against him.

Also, like you, I watched the actual incident itself as it unfolded last May 25th thanks to the footage shot by young bystanders and the news outlets that broadcast it. Most notable was that filmed by a 17-year old, Darnella, who begged police to stop suffocating Mr. Floyd. She and another young woman, Alyssa, kept their phone cameras steady throughout the incident. 

They and others who saw the murder up close have been called “the first jury.” We are all indebted to them for the concern and courage they showed, including the young female EMT, Genevieve Hanson, who approached police to offer her assistance resuscitating them only to be blocked by one of the other 3 policemen.

I remember the first time I saw this footage and watched Derek Chauvin look directly at the camera, expressionless, as he ignored Mr. Floyd’s pleas. I said to my husband: “My God. We’ve just watched a man be murdered.” And, also like many of you I suspect, my greatest fear was that he’d get away with it, that like all the deaths of unarmed Blacks before and since, Chauvin would be protected by the blue wall.

Beyond the elation that this did not happen and the hope that possibly Black Americans can finally anticipate equal protection under the law , I want to express my gratitude to the filmmakers who documented this nightmarish event. They were young, frightened, and angry, but they held their position and in doing so helped to invigorate the Black Lives Matter movement, the most significant collective effort since the Freedom Riders of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement.

Shine Global salutes Darnella, Alyssa and other witnesses – and all documentary filmmakers worldwide – who care enough to make sure the world sees the truth.

Take care,

Susan MacLaury
Executive Director and Co-Founder of Shine Global