Sheepdogs

Derek Chauvin has now been found guilty.   It’s a small step in the right direction. There was no justice, because true justice would mean this would never happen again and George Floyd would still be alive. It was, perhaps, a reckoning of sorts.

I’ve read that Chauvin is looking at a maximum of 40 years in prison, but I’ve also read articles by “experts” saying he could be looking at 75 years.  Others say that Minnesota sentencing guidelines call for a maximum of 10-15 years.  

It’s time to step back and take a deep breath; it’s not time to jump for joy.  The jury has done the heavy lifting; now it’s up to the judge to do his part.  And his part is to send a message to the Police and all Americans that officer Chauvin not only committed murder, but he violated the sacred trust that was placed in him as a police officer.   America needs a sentence at or near the maximum possible to send the message that a black man’s life is actually worth something and we will excuse police malfeasance no more.

The other day I was discussing the possible outcomes of the trial with one of my sons and I was complaining that Chauvin was hired to be a sheepdog and that he violated his duty to serve and protect his flock.  

My son is a decorated, disabled combat veteran and graduate of West Point. He’s seen and done things I can only imagine.

He laughed and said I was naïve.  He said police are not sheepdogs; they are wolves, masquerading as sheepdogs, and that we Americans regularly allow those wolves to kill some of the sheep with impunity.     For years we have permitted the wolves to kill any person they want.  All they have to do is claim that the sheep refused to cooperate, submit to their absolute authority, or put them in fear for their lives.  (Apparently wolves are very afraid of the flock, and especially black sheep, but this is nothing more than a continuation of the racist Jim Crow era description of black males as hideous, terrifying predators who target helpless white women.)

If we Americans are the flock that needs protecting, and the courts are the shepherds who are supposed to control our sheepdogs, it is apparent that we are not being protected and there is a problem with some of the sheepdogs.

The whole point of having an animal guard a flock is the protection of the individuals in the flock.   No shepherd would keep a sheepdog who killed a sheep, and we as a society should not tolerate any police officer who unjustly kills a citizen.    As far as I am concerned, the lives of the sheepdogs are less important than those they protect.  Those guardians should be willing to lay down their lives for those they have sworn to protect; not the other way around.   If they are not willing to accept this responsibility, they should find another line of work.    You won’t ever find a fireman who thinks it’s acceptable to sacrifice innocent people because he’s afraid to get burned.  As a certified medical first responder, I have made a personal oath that my patients’ lives are more important than my own.   I accept and embrace this risk.

I’m going to say something that will probably surprise more than a few people.    Of the four police officers charged in the murder of George Floyd, it’s just possible that the conviction of Derek Chauvin is the least important, from a racial and police reform perspective.     I will explain.

Many years ago, a former friend who was police officer told me that he would never arrest another police officer, no matter what that officer had done.   I told him he was a disgrace and our friendship ended. 

The only way to make sure the wolves “serve and protect” is for the wolf pack to control its members.     The gun rights people say “the only thing that stops a bad man with a gun is a good man with a gun”, and I suggest that the only thing that can stop a bad cop is a good cop.    For years we have seen that many police will not step in and stop a bad cop from committing crimes because of the so-called “Blue line”.   Most police are more loyal to each other than the American public or the Constitution which they have sworn to protect.  

If officers Tou Thao,  Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng had done their sworn duty, they would have stopped Chauvin, and George Floyd would be alive today.  This might be a greater crime than that which Chauvin committed.     These officers enabled and allowed Chauvin to commit murder, and they alone had the power to stop him.   They turned their backs on the Constitution and their oaths to serve and protect the public. They did nothing; because to do anything would have meant the end of their careers in law enforcement.   They were cowards.

If you or I were choking someone to death, they would have shot us, but these officers instead helped Chauvin commit murder. They were more afraid of losing their jobs than following the law.     This must change. 

If these officers are convicted, and others in the future as well, it just might lead to the single most important police reform possible.   That reform is that police officers should be more loyal to the citizenry than they are to each other.    The shepherds are too busy with other matters. Only the police have the power to control the police.   

Fortunately, the trial of Derek Chauvin showed the world a critical break in the blue wall. Several Minneapolis police officers and the Chief of Police himself testified that’s Chauvin’s actions were wrong. I cannot remember the last time this ever happened, with a police department testifying against one of their own. It would have been far better if Chauvin’s partners at the scene had stopped Derek Chauvin from killing George Floyd, but this testimony may well be the first in American history that this has happened. It was, and is, an amazing development.

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” ― Edmund Burke

It is time for a few good men.

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If George Floyd’s murder had not been filmed, there would not have been a trial, much less a guilty verdict. Every one of these police officers would have made a statement incriminating George Floyd and painting him as just one more dangerous black man who caused his own death.

Following is the initial report made by the Minneapolis police regarding George Floyd’s death issued on the day he was killed. According to that report, George Floyd “appeared to be suffering medical distress” and “died a short time later.” They were careful to state that “no officers were injured in the incident.”

UPDATE: 21 April 21. I just read an article that the Baltimore PD is utilizing a program to train police officers how and when to intervene when other officers cross the line. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/stepping-in-when-fellow-officers-cross-the-line/ar-BB1fUrDt?li=BBnbfcL