Gianna Floyd just wants to play with her dad.
That’s what she said in her victim impact statement via video during the sentencing of Derek Chauvin for the murder of Gianna’s father, George Floyd. Chauvin was sentenced by Judge Peter Cahill to twenty-two-and-one-half years in prison. He also can never own firearms again, and he must register as a predatory offender upon release.
After seven-year-old Gianna Floyd made her statement, George Floyd’s nephew, Brandon Williams, and two brothers, Terrence and Philonise Floyd, shared their own statements and asked that Chauvin be given the maximum sentence of forty years without parole.
True justice would be abolishing the system that allowed George Floyd to be murdered in the first place.
“My family and I have been given a life sentence,” Philonise Floyd said. “We will never be able to get George back.”
On behalf of the prosecution team, Assistant Minnesota Attorney General Matthew Frank addressed the impact that Chauvin’s murder of George Floyd has had on the community, specifically the Floyd family. During his statement, he referred to Chauvin’s treatment of George Floyd as “torture,” recalling the nine-and-a-half minutes that Chauvin held his knee on Floyd’s neck, and asked that Cahill sentence Chauvin to thirty years.
For the first time since the trial began, Derek Chauvin spoke. “At this time, due to some additional legal matters at hand, I’m not able to give a full statement, but very briefly I want to send my condolences to the Floyd family,” he said.
Chauvin, however, did not apologize to the Floyd family for murdering their loved one. Instead, he said, “There’s going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest, and I hope things will give you some peace of mind.”
Chauvin’s mother, Carolyn Pawlenty, also made a statement in which she described Chauvin as “honorable” and insisted that she will maintain his innocence regardless of his sentence.
There have been ongoing protests and actions in the Twin Cities since George Floyd was murdered last summer. In response to Chauvin’s sentencing, there is a “Justice 4 All Stolen Lives” march this evening in downtown Minneapolis, followed by a “One Down, Three to Go” protest at 9 tonight, calling for the other officers involved in the murder of George Floyd to be charged as well.
While the sentencing of Derek Chauvin offers a bit of relief for the community, many are still hesitant to call it “justice.” As people fight for abolition, there are mixed feelings regarding the use of the criminal justice system and prison to punish Chauvin.
Chauvin’s sentence is not justice—it is punishment. It is not accountability, as he has yet to accept responsibility for the murder he committed and make reparations to the Floyd family and the community at large.
True justice would be abolishing the system that allowed George Floyd to be murdered in the first place. It would look like no more Black lives being taken by state-sanctioned violence, law enforcement, or incarceration. It would look like an end to the surveillance of communities of color.
It would look like reparations, restitution, and recognition that Black lives do, in fact, matter.