Apr 21, 2021 4 min read

As Zhiere Patmon, along with the rest of the country, awaited the verdict Tuesday afternoon in the trial of former Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin, who was accused of killing George Floyd last May, he felt some apprehension.

But at 5 p.m., Judge Peter Cahill read the verdict: Chauvin was convicted of all three charges against him, second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

“I am pleased with the verdict, guilty on all counts,” said Patmon, of Black Lives Matter Washington. “I feel like today is one of America’s better days. Today was the first time, in my life, that I saw a police officer convicted for what he did to a Black man. But I still feel like we have a long way to go when it comes to the injustices Black people face every day.”

The jury deliberated a little more than 10 hours before finding Chauvin, a white police officer, guilty in the death of Floyd, a Black man who died after Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes as Floyd cried, “I can’t breathe,” and the crowd pleaded for him to get off of the man.

Floyd’s death sparked protests nationwide, including in Washington County, and around the world, and Chauvin was fired.

Dr. Andrew Goudy, president of the NAACP Washington branch, was confident that the prosecution had proven its case.

“I’m very pleased with the verdict, and I’m not surprised at all. The evidence was overwhelming. It was the most clear-cut case that I have ever seen,” said Goudy, noting the cellphone video shot by a teenage girl that captured Chauvin’s actions. “There was no other verdict they could have come up with.”

Goudy said that while justice was served in Lloyd’s case, the fight to end the disproportionate use of deadly force against African American men in the United States continues.

“This is just one verdict,” said Goudy. “There is still a problem that has to be solved in this country. There is still work to be done in terms of policing, but I’m encouraged that at least in this one case, we came out with the proper outcome. I’m optimistic that in Washington County, we can get it right. I’m hoping it doesn’t take something else like this to get police to change the way they treat young Black men.”

Tanisha Long, the founder of Black Lives Matter Pittsburgh and SWPA, was at work when the verdict came in. After work, she drove to Freedom Corner in Pittsburgh, where a crowd had gathered.

“I felt a lot of anxiety waiting for the verdict because we have a history of being let down, but it felt like a little bit of weight was lifted off my chest, and I felt like maybe things will start to become different,” said Long, a graduate of Avella High School who now lives in Crafton. “I think what people should take from this is that change is possible, but we can’t let our foot off the gas. We have to go from verdicts to policy.

“This can’t just be that George Floyd received some justice. Nothing about this case has deterred police from this behavior. We have to remember that this fight isn’t over until Black Americans don’t face this anymore.”

Long said the recent deaths of Daunte Wright and Adam Toledo, along with a recent incident in which a police officer in Virginia appeared to threaten to execute a Black U.S. Army officer, Lt. Caron Nazaro, during a traffic stop, show a need to continue the fight for social justice.

Patmon was among a group of Black young adults who organized peaceful demonstrations last summer. He said he felt hopeful after people united at demonstrations and protests in the county following Lloyd’s death.

“It was the first time I saw people from all races try to come together to help one race, Black people. I was so happy. I felt like we were heading in the right direction in America at that point, like people wanted to be allies and wanted to learn. I felt great about the future,” said Patmon.

He said BLM WASH plans to “keep working with allies who will work with us” to fight systemic racism, and continue to pursue policy change.

“We have to work with all people, white, Asian, Latinx, or we won’t get ahead,” said Patmon. “In America, the motto is ‘e pluribus unum,’ out of many, one. In order for us to be one, all of us have to come together.”