We are relieved that the jury called Mr. Floyd’s killing what it was: murder. We find some minor solace that—in this case—criminal accountability was achieved. But criminal accountability, essential as it is, is only a very small part of the equation.
The problems of policing in this country are not about “bad apple” officers or situations that get out of hand. The problems we face are systemic and structural in nature, ranging from jurisdictions making police the primary responders for many of the nation’s social problems, to the cavalier ways force is used and who is subject to it. Back-end accountability, like criminal prosecutions, is extremely important in bad apple cases, but our problems are systemic, structural, and deep.
True justice for George Floyd goes far beyond today’s guilty verdict and centers the voices of Black communities and other communities of color who have borne the brunt of our deeply flawed criminal legal system. There is no greater expertise on the public safety needs of communities—and how best to meet them—than the lived experience of communities themselves. The people most impacted by our system must be empowered to redefine what public safety is and how it is achieved.
To do anything else is to perpetuate the status quo. We will continue to wake up to headlines about policing killings and wearily wonder how this could happen again, when in reality—absent significant transformation—how could it not? Nothing about this will be easy. There are no shortcuts. There will be setbacks. But this work has begun, and it must continue.
The Policing Project at NYU School of Law partners with communities and police to promote public safety through transparency, equity, and democratic engagement. For more information on our work, visit www.PolicingProject.org.