By DaVince “Dino” Wright
Have you ever felt like you were underwater? For the past 9 months I’ve been almost afraid to get into my car and do daily things like go to work, go to the super market or out to visit family members. I was so afraid of getting pulled over and provoked to anger a police officer both men and women. You see, I’m 6’5, 267 and black! I watched as George Floyd was murdered by former police officer Derek Chauvin. He (Chauvin) looked as if he was doing what was routine to him. The world watched as George Floyd begged for his life in the last 9 minutes and 28 seconds leaving this world while being filmed by bystanders. Over the past 9 months I worried about that happening to me because I’m a big guy. My son Kendall is 6’3, 230 pound teddy bear that’s as harmless as a newborn puppy, but if a smaller officer felt intimated, my son could be the next young black killed during a traffic stop.
Former Office Derek Chauvin was convicted of the 2020 murder of George Floyd. He was convicted on all three counts! For the past 9 months there have been 8 police involved murders of black men and women in America and nothing has happened to them. Today marks a day in history where justice was served. Think about how the victim was put on trial, not the officer… the victim. It’s heartbreaking to think that if my son was murdered and recorded by a bystander and the killer goes free… My life wouldn’t be the same. If you put yourself in the shoes of black families who have lost a loved one to the hands of the very people that are sworn to protect them, how would you feel? Think about being in your home in your bed and the police raid your home and kill a family member or you’re walking home from school and get bullied by a mob of white men and nothing happens to them.
This is not a black versus white issue, it’s a justice issue when a race of people can’t get a fair chance to live, love and be happy in a country where they were born fighting for equality. Can you picture that? Will your mind allow you to feel what someone else is going through or do you even care to try?
Today, I felt as if I finally reached the top of the swimming pool. The pressure of deep water has made me feel very uncomfortable. The verdict is a start, but I feel justice was served, but there are so many more!
