Even though my attention is first directed to the conflict in Ukraine, I find it difficult to ignore what is happening in the United States these days.
I will soon have the opportunity to return to President Biden’s State of the Union address this week, just as I will comment on the appointment of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court, but I wanted to react a little more quickly on the judgments related to two trials involving the racial question.
First, the three murderers of Ahmaud Arbery were found guilty of a hate crime, while the three police officers who accompanied Derek Chauvin at the time of the murderous arrest of George Floyd were condemned for having neglected to intervene or offering medical aid to Floyd.
The families of the two individuals can continue their mourning freed from a heavy burden and many observers breathe a sigh of relief saying that justice has been served. If none of this will bring the two men back to life, at least the murderers are punished.
I consider, however, that these two stories show that it took very little for all those responsible for these two murders to escape the smallest penalties and to be able to move freely without being disturbed.
Even though both trials were based on clear evidence, almost all of us held our breath until the end. It is not a reassuring indicator when one should rejoice in the simple fact that justice finds the obvious, that caricatural cases of racism or bad police practices are considered for what they are.
I would also remind anyone who might be tempted to quickly conclude that these two judgments indicate that there is no longer any racism or bias in the proceedings, that had it not been for the two videos, one for each cause, the three assassins of Arbery would continue to feed social networks with violent and racist remarks while Derek Chauvin would continue to resort to prohibited practices for which numerous complaints had already been filed without success.
That the culprits pay the price is a happy ending, but we must remain vigilant. Next time there may not be a citizen to capture misdeeds and pass them on. Video evidence alone is not enough and should be used with care, but in the two cases mentioned here, it will have made the difference.