Officer accountability is a step

Woodside: George Floyd will not be back, but the unanimous decision of the diversified jury in convicting disgraced officer Derek Chauvin on all three counts with a resounding guilty verdict immortalizes Floyd and symbolizes that justice was well-served and delivered fairly. How true, when the prosecution pleaded during closing arguments: “Believe what you saw. This wasn’t policing. This was murder.” Not only the whole nation but the entire world watched in horror and disgust the video of Chauvin brutally pinning down the handcuffed and prostrate Floyd with his knee on Floyd’s neck while he was helplessly pleading for life, unable to breathe and calling out for his mother. Chauvin’s defiance in disregarding even the bystanders’ pleas was so emotionally overwhelming that it could shock the conscience of a stone-hearted person.

I hope this historic verdict sends a clear message to all the keepers of law enforcement apparatus that the nation appreciates the invaluable and selfless service of most officers who discharge their duty with distinction, but for those officers who dare to take the law into their own hands with impunity and scant regard for humanity and human life, the law and justice will take its own course.

Now it’s time to heal and introspect to build a stronger and more equitable America that will ensure liberty, equality and justice for all, especially to the disadvantaged communities of color that are treated as expendable and continue to be marginalized and traumatized routinely.