Joy Reid tells Jimmy Fallon that being relieved at the Chauvin verdict is part of the problem
Aux Features Joy Reid
With the surprising (because this is America) news that police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted on all three counts (second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter) for his caught-on-camera murder of George Floyd coming down in the late afternoon on Tuesday, late-night shows will have another day to process what that shockingly unprecedented verdict means. Stephen Colbert recorded a succinct and heartfelt announcement at The Late Show, the show proper having already been locked in by the time the jury’s unanimous verdict was read, while Jimmy Kimmel only made a passing reference during his monologue, wishing Chauvin “good luck in prison,” adding, “You’ll need it.”
And while Kimmel’s acid benediction smacked of some hacky, juvenile schadenfreude, even the old white men still holding sway over much of late-night uniformly noted that the fact that a white cop actually faced and received something akin to consequences for murdering a Black person in this country is marked as progress indicates that there’s a whole lot of progress needed. And it was Jimmy Fallon, of all people, who was able to bring on a guest better equipped to sum up the moment, putting in a call to NBC-family colleague, Joy Reid, who appeared via The Tonight Show’s remote feed.
“There’s nothing to celebrate when someone goes to prison,” explained MSNBC’s Reid, “This man’s life is over.” And while it might be more accurate to say that it’s George Floyd’s actual life that ended when then Minneapolis PD officer Chauvin kneeled on the helpless Floyd’s neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds, Reid noted that Chauvin’s near-unprecedented conviction represents a somber but important potential turning point. “Think about this, how rare this is for a police officer to be convicted of killing a black man, woman, child in this country,” Reid stressed to Fallon, noting that her cynicism in the area is founded on some two percent of such cases even resulting in charges. “I steel myself,” confessed the host of The ReidOut, explaining to Fallon that, even considering the bystander-filmed murder and “the phoned-in and strange quality” of Chauvin’s defense, she’d been prepared to go on the air Tuesday to explain to the nation, once more, how this is, in fact, exactly who we are as a nation.
With Fallon admirably and wisely letting Reid do the talking, the MSNBC anchor expressed that, for Black Americans, cynicism and the justice system are inextricable. Citing sickeningly similar incidents from the 41-shot execution of African immigrant Amadou Diallo by the NYPD (no convictions), to the killing of 12-year-old Tamir Rice by a member of the Cleveland PD (no conviction), to the police killing of Daunte Wright and others during the Chauvin trial (we’ll see), Reid expressed how preparing for the justice system (so called) to effectively give white police officers a free pass to murder Black people is just part of Black Americans’ reality. Noting that Chauvin’s trial was unprecedented, in that some ten fellow cops, along with the police chief, testified against Derek Chauvin, Reid told Fallon she’d like to believe that this verdict represents an actual turning point, but, again, we’ll see. Saying this conviction could “potentially radiate throughout our system,” Reid yet was cautious in reminding Fallon that, while this rare instance of well-founded cynicism being happily wrong “is a relief, it isn’t anything to be joyful about.”
65 Comments
People celebrate it because it is a “from now on”. And that’s a valid enough reason.Of course this isn’t a “from now on they will”, but a “from now on they can” is already important enough.And yes, it’s ridiculously, embarrassingly late. And yes, I’m generally on the half-empty glass’ side, facepalming whenever gay marriage gets allowed because all I see is “wow, it still wasn’t till now ?”. I live in a country where women started to be allowed to vote in 1971 (in some parts of the country, they acquired this right in 1991). So I know cheering is relative.But any hint at catching up is welcome. And jurisprudence is important too. It’s still, potentially, a next life saved.
I think there are a lot of people who believe that yesterday’s relief and celebration are from this idea that all is well and everything’s been reversed and everything’s great. I’d be surprised if anyone with half a brain and who believes Chauvin is guilty thinks that. I think you’re right: there’s reason for relief since for once things went in the right direction. The country, and especially Black people, are still in a terrible position or caste here, but a guilty verdict is the right verdict. If what we want is for cops to stop killing Black people, the guilty verdict signals that it might happen more than a not guilty verdict does. I’m happy about that.
I think there are a lot of people who believe that yesterday’s relief and celebration are from this idea that all is well and everything’s been reversed and everything’s great. I don’t know anybody who thinks or says that. The only people in America who are still that naive are little kids.
I think my statement wasn’t clearly worded. I think you’re saying the same thing I’m saying. What I was saying is that people are being criticized for celebrating the verdict as if those celebrating think that everything’s fixed. I think people are celebrating because things went the right way, not because there’s no work left to be done.
Yes we are saying the same thing. I did momentarily celebrate yesterday but then my stomach knotted up in anticipation of the far right reaction. I’m so sick of their gaslighting. I hope they all get Covid and die. Or at the very least turn into long haulers.
Counterpoint: when it takes a year of non-stop protest just to get a conviction of a blatantly obvious murderer, any celebration is premature.
Eh, I dunno … I’d pump the brakes on “from now on” for a while. The cynic in me sees this as future permission to let the next cop[s] who inevitably misuses lethal force skip, with the excuse “See?! We’re not racist! We convicted that one guy that one time!”
I agree with that. “From now on” is a little too optimistic, but I’m definitely happy about not seeing a “not guilty” verdict.
I agree with that. “From now on” is a little too optimistic, but I’m definitely happy about not seeing a “not guilty” verdict.
The real turning point will be what happens in the next trial.
That’s when we’ll see if this was a real turning point, or just a bone thrown to the people because the entire world was fucking watching y’all.
I can’t believe Joy Reid still has any credibility.
The cynical part of me thinks that his department threw him under the bus to cover up the wider issues. When a cop basically has an ‘oops I killed a guy’ speech with specific checkbox phrases of justification memorized to give to a supervisor before the ambulance has even pulled away, you arent dealing with a rogue or out of control officer. I have little doubt the training officer who testified against him wasnt one of the ones who taught him the CYA maneuver he deployed as if it were printed in the handbook. Nor do I believe for a second that if there wasnt a clear recording that made national headlines that the other officers testifying wouldnt have rallied around him instead
Chauvin actually went to an extra-curricular (not sure if that’s the correct word) class outside of work to learn that I believe. Which is fucked they’re allowed to do so.
Also, the “conviction” scenario right now is clear video of a cop slowly crushing the life out of an immobile victim. We’re still like 0-50,000 on anything less unambiguous than that, and this likely only happened because his department turned on him in the face of enormous public and political backlash.
I couldn’t really celebrate this verdict. The whole thing just made me sad, not because I have an ounce of sympathy for Chauvin, it’s just sad to me that the proper administration of justice even has to be a cause for celebration.
It really is sad that the default outcome based on historicals is a “not guilty” verdict, but I live in Minneapolis, and I can say the city breathed a big sigh of relief yesterday afternoon.
I take hope where I can get it. It’s scarce on the ground here. As is justice. Never stop. WE did this. Collectively.
Those who view this as a racist incident are only causing more harm. At no time was any racism showed by the multi-racial police team during the incident. The verdict was simple accounting for neglectful death, not to mention the drugs. A black police officer killed a white woman in haste, in Minnesota and rightfully went to prison. Other cases of “knee on necks” happened to both whites and asian, yet there was no national conversation about those cases. Reid is only stirring the fire for her own agenda. Late night comedy should avoid giving political platforms and focus on entertaining.
Shut the fuck up you lying fucking troll.
Amazing that was the only post the troll made here. Perhaps some of this hooded buddies just told about this “SJW” site.
Wuthany, what specific lie are you referring to? Civil discourse is apparently not in your toolset. Woke comedy is simply not funny. Suspect died in custody and the police officer was held accountable. What’s left to say?
kill yourself
“Those who view this as a racist incident are only causing more harm.”Lie“At no time was any racism showed by the multi-racial police team during the incident.”Lie“A black police officer killed a white woman in haste, in Minnesota and rightfully went to prison.”The lack of awareness to post this part to defend your other two lies is just amusing. A *black* police officer was sent to jail for killing a *white* civilian, but it took a year of protests and petitions to get ONE white police officer charged, of the numerous who have killed black civilians.Logical reasoning is noticeably absent from your toolset. Fuck off you troll fuck.
It took only four days to have the officer arrested, not the rioting. Cite one reference of any of the four officers on the scene making racial comments. They even offered to roll the window down. Officers regardless of race, get suspended and investigated. Those found guilty are held accountable. Resisting arrest, attacking police or doing drugs does not exonerate suspects. Still the police are responsible for those in their custody. Calling me a troll is not productive or true. More whites have been killed by police, one even begging for his life, but the conversation should be about police reform for all not just your particular preferred group.
You don’t seem to think the police are doing anything wrong, I’m not sure why you’re pretending you think reform is necessary. “Those found guilty are held accountable” and how many of those are never even charged? How many go back to work with blood on their hands? You’re either pathetically naive, or you’re a troll. You can decide which label suits you better, I’ll continue to consider you a lying troll fuck.
Reading comprehension is also not in your toolset. ALL cops should be held accountable, regardless of identity politics of them or the suspect. People like you only consider black suspects and ignore the rest. Were all the whites killed by police guilty and all blacks innocent? This is why identity politics should not be in entertainment. You are the one delusional. The parents of Daniel Shaver would believe in police reform – he was white.
Reading comprehension must not be in your toolset, since I literally never once denied police killing white people is an issue. Nobody is denying police reform as a whole is necessary, you fucking troll fuck.
Yet you keep bringing up racism.
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2018/09/20/dallas-police-chief-says-she-can-t-yet-fire-amber-guyger-but-it-s-been-done-before/Black cops, white cops it doesn’t matter. Police reform now. Tony Timpa mattered, right? Roy Oliver, white cop, was convicted. Again, identity politics do not matter.
You’re making Jimmy Kimmel cry.
kill yourself
What else were they gonna do, you guys threatened the whole country with violence if you didn’t get your way?
Within 15 minutes of the Verdict police shot and killed a 13 year old black girl. Regardless of the fact she had a knife, that shouldn’t be a death sentence. Police need to be trained in the use of non lethal force. Surely big tough cops can restrain a teenage girl without shooting her.
Also, she had a knife because she was trying to fend off other girls attacking her. And she was the one who called the police in the first place asking them for help.
Go watch the video. She wasn’t fending them off, she was attacking. I’m not going to go so far as to say the shooting was justified because I just don’t know. We need more information. But I watched the video and she was attacking when she was shot.
How was she attacking when she was in her own front yard? She was trying to defend herself and was the one who called the police in the first place.
Go watch the video.
You’re being strangely rigid on this. Is it not possible that the cops could have found a different way to handle this than shooting a 16 year old girl dead on the front lawn of her own home? You could even make the argument that if they hadn’t been called, everyone involved would be alive today.
I’m not gonna do this Bad Faith exercise with you. You want a discussion, then go view the video.
I have seen the video. Is it not possible that the cops could have found a different way to
handle this than shooting a 16 year old girl dead on the front lawn of
her own home?
I am sincerely asking this but what other ways do you think would have averted what was about to happen here? That’s Ma’Khia Bryant with the knife and her potential victim pushed up against that car. That officer had maybe at the most 15 seconds to decide what to do because Bryant had already tried to stab this other girl right before this still.
Firing a warning shot? Using a taser? Aiming for her legs? Or consider that she’s a hell of a lot less likely to kill someone by stabbing them than he is by shooting her? Meanwhile Kyle Rittenhouse got to carry around an automatic weapon after killing two people and somehow nobody thought to shoot him. And one of the cops was yelling “Blue Lives Matter” at the crime scene; there’s video of that, too. Like really, you’re giving the cops the benefit of the doubt now, this week of all weeks?
Did he have time to fire a warning shot? Was he close enough to use his taser? Would he have hit her legs if he’d shot at them? Idk and neither do you.
I am keeping an open mind about this situation until more information is forthcoming even this week. At this point no one knows if that cop was racially motivated to shoot first.
But you have obviously made up your mind so I don’t see a point to continuing this discussion.
An open mind? Why, for god’s sakes? When we’ve seen this situation play out again and again and we know that white people don’t get the same treatment? I noticed you completely ignored my example of Kyle Rittenhouse. It defies belief that anyone reasonable is giving the cops the benefit of the doubt at this point in time.
Did he have time to fire a warning shot? Was he close enough to use his taser? Would he have hit her legs if he’d shot at them? Idk and neither do you.
I am keeping an open mind about this situation until more information is forthcoming even this week. At this point no one knows if that cop was racially motivated to shoot first.
But you have obviously made up your mind so I don’t see a point to continuing this discussion.
I honestly am struggling to understand this thinking. It’s not just that she had a knife, it’s that she literally was about to stab someone else at the moment she was shot. How is that not a situation where the police should shoot her to save the life of the other person? If you’re the family of the person who is a millisecond away from being stabbed, do you want to run the risk that a Tazer is going to instantaneously stop her?
Get tae fuck with that bullshit. Weird how a black girl with a knife gets gunned down but a white kid with a rifle can open fire on a crowd and get arrested without a scratch as well as get bought McDonald’s by the police on the way to be booked. They use lethal force on black kids because they can get away with it. If the girl was white she’d still be breathing.
If it is true that she was about to stab someone and that was imminent, then this is justified. The answer isn’t to stop using justified lethal force, but to use it only when justified and always when justified. I don’t know that, if these circumstances are true (I haven’t read anything or seen the video yet) a white person in that same situation—imminently about to stab someone—would not be shot. It’s not like police never shoot white people. They just tend to not unjustifiably shoot white people, while they continually unjustifiably shoot black people.The answer is to find a way to make sure every instance of lethal force is justified. There are situations where that is the only answer, unfortunately. They are rare, but they are there.That said, if the stabbing was not imminent, I will take that back on this situation. But, lethal force is justified when death or serious bodily injury to self or another is imminent.
A thirteen year old girl with a knife is unlikely to do any major damage, let’s be honest. I also don’t see how, if she was close enough to be an immediate danger, it a be justified to shoot. Handguns are notorious for being inaccurate so he’d be just as likely to shoot the victim. A taser would be by far the more sensible move. I live in the UK where the police aren’t routinely armed, yet we don’t have constant massacres in the streets
This is how a 16 year old girl with a knife is an immediate danger.
That’s Ma’Khia Bryant with the knife right before she was shot.
OK, that knife looks blunt as fuck. Like a butter knife, also, the pic is an angle which makes it impossible to judge distance. Also, she’s a sixteen year old girl who called the police because she was in fear! Surely de escalating the situation and calming everything down would be the better option? There’s a YouTube video of British armed police dealing with a guy with a knife which I can’t be arsed to go in search of, it shows the right way to deal with this kind of thing.
Here it is, a grown man with a machete
Great now go watch the video of this incident.
Go watch the video. That’s all I’m saying.
If someone is imminently about to murder someone else, then I want the police to stop that. Period. If you disagree, then I would say “Get the fuck with that bullshit.”
Where have I said I don’t want the police to stop crimes? I want proportionate response. The chances of hitting a vital organ and killing someone with one knife stroke are minimal. Non lethal force should always be the first option. Gunfire is uncontrolled, inaccurate, the bullet could pass through the target and hit someone else. Miss completely and hit someone else. A taser is much the better option.
I guess I see your position but I just fundamentally disagree. If someone is using imminent deadly force – and attacking with a knife is clearly that, even if it may take more than one stroke – I want the police to use all necessary force to make sure that person is stopped. I absolutely think that the police should be quicker to use non-lethal force in many situations, particularly when dealing with mental illness, but I wholeheartedly disagree that non-lethal force should “always” be the first option. I also don’t like the idea of the test being that “well, one knife stroke probably isn’t going to kill someone.” If I’m on the receiving end of someone coming at me with a knife, I’m taking little comfort in the hope that their aim is bad.
Oh and it’s “get tae fuck” Scottish vernacular
Lol fair enough. I thought it was a typo and would give you the benefit of correcting to the intended use.
Do you think it’s worth thousands of police shootings, an untold number of which are unjustified?
1.) The miniscule chance that a 13-year-old girl could have fought off a taser long enough to stab someone to death doesn’t compare well to the near-certainty of public execution if the police open fire at close range.
2.) People often favor anything that “saves” their loved ones, justified or not, which is why we don’t let cops investigate crimes committed against their families.
3.) If summary execution were actually likely to save more lives than it costs, then you would expect countries where the cops don’t carry lethal weapons to have much higher murder rates. The opposite tends to be true. But the number of officer involved killings drops to near zero.
She was 16,not 13, and she was a big girl. I’ve seen the video and she was literally in the process of attacking the other two girls with her knife when the cop pulled up. I am very anti cop, I want them defunded and to lose qualified immunity, I want federal standards & oversight, and I want police to have to be true degreed professionals. Also, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I want police unions busted up. While I’m holding my judgement on that until we get more information, I’m not sure this wasn’t a justified shooting.
It’s certainly nothing to be proud of. This jury and the defence were rightly terrified for their lives and so they caved to mob pressure. So much for justice.
kill yourself