Candice Brathwaite: ‘One Guilty Verdict Cannot Make Up For A World Of Injustice’

Guilty, such a powerful word. And one that when it comes to police officers being charged with the murder of Black people in the US, we don’t get to hear as often as we should. But on 20 April 2021, Derek Chauvin, the police officer who kept his knee on George Floyd’s neck, was found guilty of murder. On 25 June he will be sentenced and could spend decades in prison

Last year, when I wrote a piece for Grazia 100 days after the murder of George Floyd, I didn’t think we would ever see any kind of justice, least of all a verdict befitting of the inhumane treatment many of us watched. After the video that showed George Floyd’s killing went viral, it wasn’t only easy for me and many other Black people to be pessimistic about the fleeting thought of justice, it was necessary. Because time and time again the US police seemed to be great at killing unarmed, innocent, non-violent, unaggressive, compliant Black people and even greater at getting away with it. The only thing they seemingly had to ‘suffer’ was some paid leave – a mere financially-compensated sabbatical – that was usually the harshest consequence they would ever face.

But this verdict points to the fact that there seems to have been a slight pivot towards the right direction. But only slight. And yet many seem to be getting far too excited. It’s remarkable to see how many non-Black people think this is truly the beginning of the end. The end of prejudice and racism. The end of police brutality. The end of white supremacy as we know it. As if this singular guilty verdict can make up for the lack of justice for Michael Brown, Breonna Taylor, Stephon Clark, Philando Castile, Atatiana Jefferson and so many more Black people who end up dead after interactions with the police.

If you read the first article I wrote in regards to the George Floyd murder, you would have a headstart on my pessimism. I still feel strongly that my children will inherit a world tipped in the favour of white people. To help me outline my worries, let’s look at the cases of Sarah Everard and Richard Okorogheye. Both missing people. Both coming from family units who were trying their best to find them. And yet two very different reactions from both the police and the public. The last grainy images of Sarah Everard, which were pulled from CCTV footage, were quickly circulated among the press and pushed into the minds of the public, reminding them that this young white woman was missing and we should all keep a lookout.

I remember listening to a radio show debating the question of whether a vigil and protest should be allowed to go ahead for Sarah, given the rules around gatherings and the current pandemic. One caller was insistent that it should be allowed, it was necessary even to show the country that women’s lives matter. When the caller was then asked whether they felt that way about the Black Lives Matter protests, she did not miss a beat with her response: ‘Oh no no, that was very different. Those protests are about violence. They shouldn’t be allowed at all. This is different. We need protecting. We deserve the right to send this message,’ the woman pleaded, exasperated. It was almost as if Black Lives Matter protests weren’t trying to send the same message.

It didn’t help that the caller’s thoughts were echoed by the Metropolitan Police’s seemingly lackadaisical behaviour when it came to helping locate the Black 19-year old Richard Okorogheye. His mother was told she was being a nuisance and that if she and her family couldn’t find Richard, why did she think the police could? This attitude persisted even though data shows Black people are four times more likely to be reported missing in England and Wales.

Add to this dismissive behaviour the fact that two Met policemen, PC Deniz Jaffer and PC Jamie Lewis, were charged with misconduct after taking indecent photos of the bodies of murdered sisters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman, both Black women. It’s clear that, in the UK, Black people aren’t killed by the police as often as in the US, but there are similarities in Black bodies – and therefore Black lives – not mattering as much as their white counterparts.

Given the reaction immediately after the murder of George Floyd, it would be easy to believe that we should see a clear downturn in the pattern of racial injustice by now. There was a rallying cry for white people to not only admit their privileges, but to find out what they could do to ensure that they help lift everyone up – ‘doing the work’. There were black squares across social media feeds, brands and businesses outlining what they will do on their homepages and books by Black British authors shot up the charts, with people thinking we had all of the answers. Finally there was change ahead.

But the lived experiences and heartache still happening on both sides of the Atlantic should act as reminder to not be so hasty in thinking that said ‘work’ has actually been done, that the task is that easy to finalise and that Black lives are now given the same value as others. We are not there yet. Not even close. We still need to unlearn things, stand firm in the face of injustice, read books, protest, sign petitions and call out racism time and time again. Because I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the idea that Black lives don’t matter – and are being cut short because of it – isn’t going anywhere

Last month, 21-year-old Daunte Wright was shot dead in Minnesota during a stop for a traffic violation, because police officer Kim Potter claims she mistook her gun for her taser. Yet again, another Black man’s name was trending on social media for the saddest of reasons. Potter has been charged with second-degree manslaughter. Yet again we have a tiresome wait to see if justice will prevail. Just as with George Floyd – and the case that I know for sure will follow Daunte Wright’s – I won’t be holding my breath.