What you need to know about yesterday’s verdict ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 

April 21, 2021

Understand more. Argue less.


Good morning. Close to 11 months ago, George Floyd was killed. Yesterday, with the eyes of the nation upon them, a jury convicted Derrick Chauvin of all three charges: second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. Let’s break it down. 
 
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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Thrice Guilty

Jenna Gibson

 

Almost 11 months ago, George Floyd was murdered by police officer Derek Chauvin during an arrest, catalyzing a resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement and protests across the country. Since then, the trial of Derek Chauvin has been highly anticipated. Yesterday, he was convicted of all three charges: second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and manslaughter. Chauvin’s trial, which began on March 29th, included 45 witnesses and hours of video footage. The twelve-member jury took less than a day to reach a verdict. 

The Facts
  • Sentencing. Even though Chauvin was convicted on all three charges, he will only be sentenced on second-degree unintentional murder, the most severe charge. The state sentencing guidelines recommend 12.5 years in prison for someone guilty of second-degree murder with no prior criminal history, but the prosecution could seek a maximum sentence of 40 years. (NPR)
  • Reform impact. A survey of 47 of the largest US law-enforcement agencies between 2015 and 2017 found that 39% changed their use-of-force policies in 2015–2016 and revised their training to incorporate tactics such as de-escalation. Among the agencies surveyed, officer-involved shootings dropped by 21% during the study period. (Nature)
  • Lack of data. Data surrounding policing is still limited, which makes crafting effective policy difficult.A national data set established by the FBI in 2019, for example, contains use-of-force data from only about 40% of US law-enforcement officers. Data submission by officers and agencies is voluntary. (FBI)

NARRATIVES

How It's Being Spun

Katherine Chuang

 
Here are the narratives from both sides, along with supporting headlines and article snippets. These are not necessarily factual, but instead illustrate the coverage that solidifies each narrative. The bias ratings refer to news outlets as a whole, not a specific article.

This week, the Right's narrative will appear first on mobile. Next week, we'll switch it up.

Narrative from the Right

Today’s decision proved that our judicial system is functional, and justice was served. However, the actions of prominent Democrats like Maxine Waters needlessly tainted the guilty verdict with their irresponsible actions. Now, if they can prove that the jury was pressured, Chauvin's team might have a shot at reducing or overturning the charges.

Supporting Headlines

Derek Chauvin convicted - but what comes next?

Biden appears to justify pressure on jury in Derek Chauvin trial

MacCallum fires back at Handler for decrying due process in Chauvin trial

Narrative from the Left

While conviction on all three accounts is an immense relief, this is just the beginning. This verdict represents accountability, not justice. The US still needs comprehensive systemic reforms to ensure this doesn’t happen again. It is not the job of the police to murder civilians, and holding them accountable for doing so is hardly an overwhelming victory.

Supporting Headlines

Convicting one killer cop is not nearly enough

Derek Chauvin verdict brings a rare rebuke of police conduct

George Floyd’s family: ‘Today, we are able to breathe again’

But, It's Not All Bias 

Sometimes, the news is civil! Usually, this section highlights two cases of relatively unbiased coverage by news outlets on each side.

As you just read, some elements of the verdict are disputed. That being said, as of this writing, much of the general sentiment surrounding the trial is that due process did win out. We don't want to limit that sentiment to just two news stories.

BOTTOM LINE

What Does It All Mean?

The story of George Floyd and Derek Chauvin has gripped the nation for almost 11 months, and the verdict has finally been issued. Depending on where you get your news, it will probably sound something like this...
  • If your news outlets lean Left, you saw this trial unfold over the past few weeks and feel that the outcome should’ve been obvious from the start. The continual murders of innocent Black people provide clear evidence for the necessity of institutional change. You believe that the judicial system is the underlying reason the verdict was ever in question, as it has repeatedly failed to hold predominantly white police officers accountable. 
  • If your news outlets lean Right, you feel that before the decision was made, the evidence could support guilty verdicts for all three counts. You see many on the Left crediting last year’s riots as a necessary contributor to the verdict. It’s dangerous to believe that anarchy in America’s streets is what brought about justice. The country should worry—not celebrate—if that is the main takeaway from yesterday’s decision.

This case has loomed over the country since George Floyd was killed on May 25, 2020. The polarizing opinions on the murder, ensuing protests, Black Lives Matter movement, and police reform have permeated American culture and politics for almost a year. 


After being read the verdict, Chauvin was denied bail and will spend up to eight weeks waiting for his sentence. His legal team will almost certainly appeal the ruling. They will likely point to the judge refusing to sequester the jury and comments made by Representative Maxine Waters as evidence for the appeal. On Sunday, when asked by reporters how she'd react if the jury didn't return a guilty verdict, Waters said, "We get more active, we've got to get more confrontational. We've got to make sure that they know that we mean business." Judge Cahill said that Ms. Waters may have handed the defense a gift. "Congresswoman Waters may have given you something on appeal that may result in this whole trial being overturned."


This story also brings up questions about police reform. In June of last year, Republican Senator Tim Scott and five of his peers introduced legislation that offers federal incentives to police departments that implement best practices and penalize those that do not. It ultimately failed to pass the Democrat-controlled House, for critiques that it didn't go far enough. The Democrats recently introduced a police reform bill as well. It aims to lower the legal standard required to convict a police officer and establish a national database to track police misconduct. However, Republicans assert that this measure is too extensive, meaning it's unlikely to pass in the Senate.


At least for the moment, it feels like the country is finally united about something. While there certainly are elements of this story that are disputed, the majority of Americans believe that the verdict was just. While it may have been for different reasons, it felt like most Americans breathed a sigh of relief as Chauvin was led away in handcuffs yesterday afternoon.

IN OTHER NEWS

What Else We're Following
  • Hawaiian vaccine passports. State officials will allow state residents who have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus to skip pre-travel testing and quarantine requirements for flights between islands. Hawaii becomes the second state in the nation after New York to implement a vaccination verification program, state officials said at a news conference Tuesday. (AP News)
  • Infrastructure comparison. The US federal government played a key role in developing infrastructure over the course of the 20th Century. Now, Joe Biden hopes to build on that legacy with a $2T infrastructure plan. Where does it rank among the largest projects in American history? (BBC video)
  • Migrant arrivals. The number of migrant children trying to reach the US from Mexico has increased ninefold since the start of 2021, UN children's agency Unicef says. The children are mainly from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Mexico itself. Around half have arrived without parents. (BBC)

Finally, some good news

The overshadowed vaccine. The first human trial of an HIV vaccine produced an immune response in 97% of volunteers. (Good News Network)


Have a healthy week! We'll see you next Wednesday.

Edition #26 was researched, written, and edited by Alexis Gero, Liam Walsh, Max Russ, Nathan Wiley, Frankie Misra, and Max Tendero

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