On the Conviction of Derek Chauvin
Our prayers tonight are with the family of George Floyd as they continue to mourn their loss nearly a year after he was murdered. They are also with Darnella Frazier and her family, as it was her heroic action that began this long march toward accountability. While decisions made in one courtroom, regarding one case, can only do so much to mitigate the realities of extra-judicial killings and brutality, particularly against communities of color, we are reminded tonight that accountability, justice, and the law still matter. We stand as witnesses in solidarity, to help bear the burdens faced by communities of color who have experienced so many threats and attacks with so little time to mourn or space to process. We are reminded yet again that “positive peace” is not the absence of tension but the presence of justice.
We face grave challenges, but we have an abiding hope in that American motto of “out of many, one.” We call on our state legislatures to address statutes that leave certain public officials essentially above the law, including the “clearly established” standard for qualified immunity and implied or stated prohibitions on recording encounters with police. We call on our US Senators, especially Senators Romney, Lee, and Crapo, to swiftly confirm nominees to the Department of Justice who have the credibility to work with law enforcement and civil rights groups on a path forward, especially Ms. Vanita Gupta as Associate Attorney General and Ms. Kristen Clarke as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. Our fellow Latter-day Saints can sign our letter in support for Ms. Gupta here and our letter in support of Ms. Clarke here. And let us say with one accord, “Black lives matter.”
