The Guardian
George Floyd should be alive today
Floyd is not a martyr. Talking about him is a hollow form of myth building. No, if justice were true, it would simply be, “What exactly does the spell of ‘accountability’ do?” Photo: Chandan Khanna / AFP / Getty ImagesTuesday’s pomp surrounding Derek Chauvin’s trial verdict felt like a menacing hand descending to calm the masses like a weighted blanket. There is little to say that can be considered truly revealing, other than to be explicit about how perverse and orchestrated these events feel. The hours for the verdict consisted of filler shipments from each news outlet. This is what we know so far. What you need to know. Minutes to go. The chance of a conviction. What makes this trial different. How ubiquitous surveillance, not fiery, persistent protest has made this possible. Testimony of black journalists. The realization that they would gain even more psychological weight in the coming days, regardless of the outcome. All this performed solemnly, respectfully, with similar sentiments echoed on social media, yet the cheerful anticipation was closer to that of a major sporting event. Writer and comedian Natasha Rothwell touched on a bleak, crushing irony when she tweeted, “I can’t wait to find out if my life matters! 🙏🏾🤞🏾🙏🏾. When the jury’s final verdict was read live, the camera remained focused on Chauvin, who was sitting patiently, a blue disposable mask over his face and his eyes from side to side. How else should we interpret these images? The continuous, static shot as the judge recites the jury’s decision, the drama of an attempt to interpret Chauvin’s reaction. Calm and unadorned sensationalism. People will write about the Chauvin’s body language and the lack of sensation in his eyes It is less exciting to say that he looked like a normal person, which of course makes all this much worse In the nearly year since the now state-sanctioned execution of George Floyd , intensive law enforcement scrutiny has emphasized the abolition of the police force, a messy, gigantic corporation that makes up the make-up of the United S tating would fundamentally change if adopted. The fact that no one can definitively say what a post-police world would be like is food for skeptics, conservatives and police apologists to demonstrate the perceived stupidity of liberals and leftists. Indeed, on Tuesday, before and after the verdict, those who opposed the abolition mocked those who welcomed Chauvin’s indictment. The feeling is, “Oh, now you believe in the system.” President Biden called Floyd’s family to show his support and congratulated them after the sentencing. The House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, always disconnected from reality, thanked George Floyd for his “sacrifice” in the pursuit of justice. In the company of the Floyd family were relatives of Emmett Till, making the unbroken legacy of black murder even more evident, so intensely rejected, so measly and voyeuristically debated by this country. What can be said about this system and its pastors and this country’s tacit embrace other than to indicate that even the incumbent president can do little more than make phone calls? What exactly does the spell of ‘accountability’ do? In a press conference on Tuesday night, Biden said Chauvin’s indictment was a reminder that no one is above the law. Not even the state’s ultimate assault dogs, the police, who see more of themselves in an American like Kenosha gunman Kyle Rittenhouse than George Floyd. At times like these, people are fixated on the law’s ability to provide justice. There is something disgusting about the spectacle of it all. The waiting, the reporting, the details of what is or is not criminal behavior, the gaslight by government officials about hearing from their citizens, the obsession with the death and hagiography of the dead, the emotional quarrel of black people’s lives and the expectation to uncover our concerns and fears. But at some point we talk in circles or past each other. I have no doubts about the statistics, maddening in their precision and simultaneous irrelevance, that agents kill many people and are rarely charged for it. When you hear something like this, you must be confronted with an understanding that goes beyond the obvious. I’m getting tired, as many of my friends have already done, of allies and good intentions and the constant deferment of common decency. I’ve finished admitting to strangers who want to play the game of, “Is this me?” At times like these, people are fixated on the law’s ability to do justice. Is there much to understand at this point? I suppose the question assumes everything was confusing to begin with. For me it is reminiscent of Achille Mbembe’s 2019 book entitled Necropolitics. In it, the Cameroonian philosopher and political theorist writes about the idea of ”necropolitics”, which looks at sovereignty and how it is linked to the state that controls mortality. Those living under necropolitical regimes – such as black Americans – face weapons and state violence that, in Mbembe’s words, ‘create new and unique forms of social existence in which vast populations are subjected to living conditions that give life. on them the status of living-dead ”. George Floyd illustrated Mbembe’s concept well before his death. Every black soul does. But he is not a martyr. Talking about him is a hollow form of myth building. No, if justice were true, he just would be. Which means I agree with the president on one thing: George Floyd should be alive today. Many, many others should be too. Nicholas Russell is a freelance writer