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'Very afraid': Locals sound off on Derek Chauvin trial

“I’m afraid for us (as a country) if this trial doesn’t go well. I’m very afraid,” said Givonna Joseph.

NEW ORLEANS — It’s been almost a year since the death of George Floyd set off protests, demonstrations and debates about racial justice across the country, including here in New Orleans. 

Justin Brown and Givonna Joseph say since then, the highly-charged case is changing attitudes and awareness. They’ve seen a mixed bag of progress when it comes to race.

“On the upside, I’ll say I’ve been involved in a lot of diversity conversations, both locally and nationally,” said Givonna Joseph.

“I think the younger generation is doing an awesome job. They’re doing a great job at bridging the gap, trying to bring everybody closer together,” said Justin Brown.

Brown is a former New Orleans Police officer, but he says his experience in uniform won’t change how he views Floyd’s death or Derek Chauvin’s trial.

“I am a black man, I am a former law enforcement officer, but there’s only one lens. I can’t see anyone looking at this and saying the officer was justified,” said Brown.

Like the trial of the officers involved in the Rodney King beating, the trial of Derek Chauvin will be televised. Similar to that trial in 1992, there is a sense the outcome will have far reaching implications.

“I’m afraid for us (as a country) if this trial doesn’t go well. I’m very afraid,” said Givonna Joseph.

For Joseph, a career opera singer, the trial is a test of the country’s humanity, especially toward black people. Joseph says she the look on Chauvin’s face as his knee was on Floyd’s neck haunts her still.

“Where is the mercy for us? And that’s the thing that baffles me, it hurts me, but it really baffles me because I don’t understand it,” said Joseph.

Eyewitness News legal analyst Keva Landrum says regardless of the verdict, the criminal justice system as a whole will learn from what will unfold in that Minneapolis courtroom over the coming weeks.

“This is going to draw the line between racial tension, but I also think between police departments and how they interact with our communities at large,” said Landrum.

Those are truly high stakes, but the number of people who’ll decide this case is relatively low. A jury of twelve began listening to arguments on Monday, with the world watching.

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