THUNDER BAY – Pitia Modi says he was confident a jury would return a guilty verdict for Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer accused of killing Black man George Floyd nearly a year ago.
But the Thunder Bay student was also prepared to hear a not guilty verdict read.
Modi, who helped organize last June’s Black Lives Matter rally at Waverly Park, on Wednesday said he watched the Chauvin trial with mixed emotions.
“After the verdict there was definitely a little sense of relief that we saw a police officer held with some accountability. It just shows that we’re going in the right direction forward. But there’s definitely still a long way to go,” said Modi, a St. Ignatius High School graduate who just finished his third year at the University of Windsor.
Chauvin, 45, on Tuesday was found guilty of three counts of murder and manslaughter, having been accused of kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nine minutes after a traffic stop, despite the victim uttering his infamous last words, “I can’t breathe.”
Floyd’s May 25, 2020 death led to worldwide protests, that included the burning of a Minneapolis police precinct and forced a nation to take a long hard look at its policing and the racism within.
Modi is hopeful the verdict is a turning point, one that shows police and other law enforcement they will be held to account.
But by no means does he think it solves the problem.
In recent years, a number of high profile killings of Black people, many involving police, have hit the headlines.
In most cases, the accused was found not guilty – or not even charged.
In 2014, New York Police officer Daniel Pantaleo used a choke-hold on Black man Eric Garner, who later died in hospital. The officer was not charged.
Later that year, Michael Brown was gunned down by Ferguson, Mo. police officer Darren Wilson, who also did not face charges.
In March 2020, Daniel Prude died of asphyxiation while under restraint at the hands of Rochester, N.Y. police and a grand jury decided not to file charges. And then there’s the case of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman who has shot to death during a narcotics raid by Louisville, Ky. police, who fired into Taylor’s home while executing a no-knock warrant. One officer, Brett Hankison, was indicted on wanton endangerment charges for his alleged actions.
Modi said there’s still a lot of work to be done.
“There are a lot of voices, a lot of talking, a lot of push and a lot of change for those false narratives that have been in place for generations. I think if we just keep pushing that forward and we just keep trying to do better. I think we’ll get better.”
In recent weeks there have been another pair of high-profile police killings in the United States. Chicago Police shot Latino teen Adam Toledo, who was accused of holding a gun when he was killed. A week ago, during the Chauvin trial, a 20-year-old Black motorist, Daunte Wright, was shot and killed by a Brooklyn Centre, Minn. Police officer, who claimed she thought she was firing a Taser.
Kim Potter, who resigned and is out on $100,000 bail, faces manslaughter charges.
Modi said he remains realistic about the situation facing minorities when dealing with police on both sides of the border, despite Chauvin's conviction.
“It’s very sad to see because at the end of the day, just because (Chauvin) was held accountable for his actions, it’s still the same system that was operating before, that was built not to serve the Black community. There’s something that needs to be done with that system.”
