Darnella Frazier Deserves More Than Gratitude For Her Role In The Conviction Of Derek Chauvin

This morning, Darnella Frazier began trending on social media. Why? Because the world wants to thank the 18-year-old that knew to film the police arresting George Floyd, that later became the devastating viral clip of Derek Chauvin kneeling on his neck for nine minutes. Without that footage, it’s almost certain that the former police officer would not have faced accountability for his actions as he was yesterday when found guilty of murder and manslaughter.

Now, she high on Google Trends too, with her name ‘Darnella Frazier’ a breakout search term as people seek to know more information about the then-17-year-old who was among the first witnesses called to testify by the prosecution in Chauvin’s trial.

And while she’s widely being considered the woman that enabled the guilty verdict in this case, her own feelings on the matter are incredibly emotional to read.

‘It’s been nights I stayed up apologizing and apologizing to George Floyd for not doing more and not physically interacting and not saving his life,’ she said during the trial. ‘But it’s like, it’s not what I should have done, it’s what he should have done [referring to Chauvin]’.

Crying several times during her testimony, she explained that on the day of Floyd’s murder, she had been walking to Cup Foods convenience store with her 9-year-old cousin to buy some snacks when they saw him being arrested.

‘I see a man on the ground, and I see a cop kneeling down on him,’ she detailed, describing Floyd as ‘terrified, scared, begging for his life.’ She went on to say that as the crowd shouted at Chauvin to get off his neck, he reached for his mace and she ‘felt in danger when he did that.’

But she bravely began filming, clearly holding an awareness of how important it is to record evidence of police brutality – something that while many are grateful she understood, we are aware that no teenager should have to.

‘When I look at George Floyd, I look at my dad, I look at my brothers, I look at my cousins, my uncles, because they’re all Black,’ she said in her testimony. ‘I have a Black father. I have a Black brother. I have Black friends… I look at how that could have been one of them.’

Her video, undoubtedly, changed the world – with protests ensuing soon after she posted it and of course, being used as evidence in trial. ‘Remember: none of Chauvin’s colleagues turned him in,’ author Mikel Jollet posted on Twitter. ‘He murdered a man in broad daylight and we are here today because a brave Black girl named Darnella Frazier kept taping despite threats from the cops on the scene.’

And yet, she has faced countless harassment and abuse online. In response, a woman named Mica Cole Kamenski decided to set up a GoFundMe for people to support Darnella in healing from not just the abuse she’s endured, but the trauma of witnessing such a horrific crime for which many witnesses mentioned in their testimony.

‘Darnella Frazier, the brave young woman who filmed the murder of George Floyd, deserves peace and healing,’ Mica wrote on the GoFundMe. ‘In addition to the trauma of watching a black man be murdered by police, she has had to deal with trolls, bullies and ignorant people harassing her online. It took unbelievable courage for her to stand there and bear witness to such an awful tragedy. We all have our roles to play in the revolution against white supremacy. Darnella played an important one and should be uplifted, not shamed.

‘You can’t put a price on a child’s spirit,’ she continued. ‘This fund is to support the healing and the restoration of hope for Darnella Frazier —whatever that means to her. There are many places in the movement where your resources are needed. This is one of them. Thank you.’

The page has currently raised over $620,000 (£445,000) for Darnella and has since posted an update stating that a trust has been establishing in Darnella’s name at Bremer Bank NA with all of the messages of support forwarded to her family – it has been verified by GoFundMe on social media. To donate to the fund, click here.

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