Participants in Aberdeen rally celebrate Chauvin guilty verdict, stress need to keep working on police reform

  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
David Anderson, The Aegis, Bel Air, Md.
·4 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Apr. 22—Justice might have been done Tuesday after a Minnesota jury convicted former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on murder and manslaughter charges in the death of George Floyd last May, according to James Thornton, of the Harford County Coalition for Justice. But "the struggle continues" in terms of ensuring police in Harford County treat all residents equally, regardless of race, he said.

Thornton delivered the opening remarks during a rally hosted by the coalition — a collection of local community activist groups — that happened in Festival Park in Aberdeen Wednesday night.

About 20 people gathered in front of the park bandstand as the sun set during a windy and unseasonably chilly evening. They listened to multiple speakers, prayer and poetry readings, and sang together.

"All of us came together as an organization shortly after May 25, and we decided we needed to make a difference here in Harford County," Thornton said, referring to the date Floyd died after Chauvin held him on the ground with his knee in his neck — after Floyd had been handcuffed — for more than nine minutes.

Bystanders captured the majority of the incident on video, which showed Floyd, a Black man, saying he could not breathe over and over and the crowd pleading with Chauvin to let him up. The officer, who is White, did not get off of him.

Floyd's death, as well as the shooting death of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, in March 2020, prompted protests throughout the nation, including several in Harford County. People called for an end to police brutality and fairer treatment of people of color by police.

The jury's verdict was announced late Tuesday afternoon after a trial that lasted close to two weeks and included testimony from the Minneapolis police chief and other top law enforcement officials that Chauvin's actions were against department policy and amounted to excessive force.

Chauvin was convicted of all three charges against him, including second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. He will be sentenced in about eight weeks.

The Harford County coalition also gathered for a vigil Monday in downtown Bel Air as jury deliberations began; the group prayed that "Mr. George Floyd and family get justice for his death," according to the event flier. Videos of the Monday prayer vigil and Wednesday rally are available online on the Facebook page of BRIDGE Maryland, one of the groups in the coalition.

The rally in Aberdeen was a celebration of the verdict in Minneapolis but also a call for further action at the local and state level. The coalition met with Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler and police chiefs in Aberdeen, Bel Air and Havre de Grace last spring and summer and delivered 10 "action items" to them regarding ways to reforming policing in the county. The group also held a "car caravan" rally and hosted community forums with police leaders.

"We are still working with those police chiefs, and the sheriff as well ... to make sure that the citizens of Harford County feel as if we have law enforcement agencies that are really working on our behalf and in our best interests," Thornton said.

Coalition member Cassandra Beverley, a Bel Air attorney and vice president of the Harford County Caucus of African American leaders, stressed the need for Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. The House of Representatives passed the act in March, and it has the backing of Democratic President Joe Biden and Senate Democrats, but it needs support from Senate Republicans to pass the upper chamber of Congress.

Beverley lauded the Maryland General Assembly's passage of a package of police reforms as the legislature's 2021 session ended earlier this month, including repealing the state's Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights, making Maryland the first state in the country to do so.

"We have an opportunity to show the nation what good police reform looks like," Beverley said.

She also touched on the 10 action items the coalition delivered to local law enforcement officials and stressed the need for people to remain involved so all items can be accomplished.

DeLane Lewis, of Together We Will-Harford County/Upper Chesapeake, emphasized that the rally was "not a celebratory moment" but a "moment of accountability," citing Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, whose office prosecuted Chauvin.

Lewis asked the crowd if they felt justice had been served, if they are satisfied with "one incident of accountability," and people replied "no" both times.

She cited civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., who emphasized nonviolent civil disobedience to fight racial segregation during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and '60s. Lewis noted that, "in [King's] vernacular, 'peace' is an action word."

"If peace means a willingness to be exploited economically, dominated politically, humiliated and segregated, I don't want peace," Lewis said, quoting King's 1956 "When Peace Becomes Obnoxious" speech. "In a passive, non-violent manner, we must revolt against this peace."

She stressed that the coalition is "about action," and that peace "will not be handed to us."

"We still have so much work to do, in terms of addressing issues of policing in the state of Maryland," Lewis said.

Recommended Stories

  • Biden to propose hike in capital gains taxes to pay for more child care - sources

    U.S. President Joe Biden will next week propose raising taxes on the wealthy to fund major investments in child care, universal pre-kindergarten education and paid leave for workers, sources familiar with the plan said. Biden will propose raising the marginal income tax rate to 39.6% from 37%, and nearly doubling taxes on capital gains to 39.6% for people earning more than $1 million, according to the sources. Details of Biden's "American Families Plan" are still being finalized, but the president plans to announce the measures next week before his first address to Congress on Wednesday.

  • Officer who shot 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant was military trained marksman, report says

    Columbus Interim Police Chief Michael Woods identifies Nicholas Reardon as the police officer involved in the shooting

  • Prince Andrew: ‘Outrageous’ that year has passed since royal vowed to cooperate with FBI, says lawyer

    It is ‘never too late to do the right thing’, lawyer says

  • Frank: MyPillow CEO’s pro-Trump social network breaks immediately upon launch

    The CEO claimed the website is undergoing cyberattack, but this has not been confirmed

  • How to protect state land around Payette Lake? One idea: a new tax on property owners

    Local leaders seek to preserve open space around McCall “before it all gets developed.”

  • D.C. Statehood Bill Passes House in Party-Line Vote

    The House of Representatives approved a measure that would grant statehood to Washington, D.C. in a party-line vote on Thursday. The legislation, which passed 216-208, would create the new state of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth, and give it one representative and two senators. The bill has been the subject of intense opposition from Republicans, since D.C. would provide overwhelming Democratic representation. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, (D., Calif.), sporting a “D.C. 51” face mask at the news conference, stated that the vote would “reaffirm the truth that all deserve a voice in our democracy.” The Biden administration has professed its strong support for the bill. The White House released a statement Tuesday calling Washington’s current district status “an affront to the democratic values on which our Nation was founded.” Since Democrats control both chambers of Congress and the White House, Republicans will likely be forced to rely on the filibuster to block the D.C. statehood bill. Opponents of D.C. statehood believe that the District of Columbia should not be admitted to the union since it is the seat of the federal government and as such has interests that diverge from the rest of the nation. Some have proposed alternatives to statehood such as exempting Washingtonians from federal taxation and “retroceding” most of D.C. back into Maryland. Zack Smith, a legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, argued before Congress last month that D.C.’s status can only be changed through a constitutional amendment since its creation and purpose provisions are enumerated in Article I of the Constitution. He claimed that the framers of the Constitution “intended this to be a federal district outside the jurisdiction of any one state.” Smith predicted that lawsuits and litigation would follow a D.C. statehood bill passing in Congress. “Every legislative act of this new state would be called into question. … Things would be in a state of flux for years,” Smith said. Democrats have advocated granting statehood to Puerto Rico, another predominantly Democratic jurisdiction that would provide a further electoral advantage.

  • Military experts told us who they think would win if Russia invaded Ukraine

    Russia could be in for a surprise: Ukraine has been fighting in Donbass for seven years. Its skills and equipment are vastly improved.

  • Russia announces end to massive troop buildup near Ukraine

    Russia's defense minister said Thursday that massive military exercises near the border with Ukraine had been completed, and that he had ordered troops to return to their permanent bases by May 1, according to state media.Why it matters: Tens of thousands of troops and heavy military equipment had been moved to the border of eastern Ukraine and the annexed territory of Crimea over the last month, sparking fears of a potential Russian invasion.Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeAs recently as early Thursday, Russia conducted military drills in Crimea that involved more than 60 ships, over 10,000 troops, around 200 aircraft and about 1,200 military vehicles, AP reports, citing the Russian defense ministry.Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the goals of the military exercises "have been fully achieved" and that troops "demonstrated the ability to ensure reliable defense of the country," according to translated remarks.What they're saying: "The reduction of troops on our border proportionally reduces tension. Ukraine is always vigilant, yet welcomes any steps to decrease the military presence and deescalate the situation in Donbas. Ukraine seeks peace. Grateful to international partners for their support," Ukraine President Volodymr Zelensky tweeted.Between the lines: The immediate threat of a Russian invasion may be subsiding, but tens of thousands of troops remain within striking distance of Ukraine and there is no end in sight to the long-simmering conflict in the eastern Donbass region.The Russian buildup appears to have been engineered in part to gauge the response not only of Ukraine, but of the U.S. and Europe.President Biden offered stern warnings to Vladimir Putin and support to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but backed off a plan to send warships to the Black Sea and made clear that the U.S. would not fight a war over Ukraine. The European response was more muted still.In Ukraine, though, the threat of invasion sparked a sense of national unity and bolstered Zelensky's position, Davyd Arakhamia, the leader of Zelensky's party in parliament, told Axios.More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free

  • ‘You’re old, impotent and an embarrassment’: Lincoln Project targets Trump with Mar-a-Lago advert

    The ad will air starting on Thursday in Palm Beach, Florida – where Mar-a-Lago is based

  • NASA's Ingenuity helicopter just flew sideways over the Martian surface in its second aerial adventure

    Ingenuity is moving fast after its first flight. Future attempts will go further and faster as NASA engineers push the helicopter 'to the limit.'

  • India's COVID tsunami is the worst in the world. Why that should concern Americans.

    The deepening disparities between two of the world’s largest countries should remind optimistic Americans that with light at the end of their own tunnel, it’s probably time for the U.S. to start thinking about how it can help end the pandemic elsewhere too.

  • What is the India Covid variant and will vaccines work?

    Much of the data around a coronavirus variant identified in India is incomplete, scientists say.

  • Lawmakers, defense officials joust over next-gen ICBM plans

    The war over a next-gen ICBM flared up at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.

  • The US military is turning to special operators to fend off Russian and Chinese influence in its neighborhood

    By using information operations, or propaganda, Beijing and Moscow are trying to gain an economic, intelligence, and military advantage.

  • Russia orders soldiers to begin return to bases after drills near Ukraine

    Russia ordered its top army command to begin returning troops to their permanent bases inside the country from Friday, saying it had successfully completed a "snap inspection" of forces in its south and west, near the border with Ukraine, the RIA news agency reported. The announcement prompted the rouble to rise sharply, following weeks of tensions with the West over a major Russian military buildup near Ukraine. The EU's top diplomat said on Monday that Russia has massed some 100,000 troops near the border.

  • Cop who fatally shot teen in Tennessee school bathroom won’t face charges, official says

    Anthony Thompson Jr., 17, died during a confrontation with police.

  • Getting the most out of cooking with fresh fava beans

    From a spiced sausage pasta to bright, tangy ceviche, fresh fava beans are a wonderful springtime indulgence.

  • The scientist behind Pfizer's vaccine says people will likely need a 3rd COVID-19 shot and yearly doses

    BioNTech's chief medical officer said the COVID-19 vaccine would be similar to the annual flu shot as immunity wanes over time.

  • Countries from around the world are chipping in to help find Indonesia's missing naval submarine

    Time is short: The Indonesian naval submarine was only equipped with 72 hours of oxygen and may be too deep to rescue off the northern coast of Bali.

  • Israel strikes back at Syria after Dimona nuclear reactor missile alert

    The Israeli military struck back at Syria after a missile from the country triggered air raid sirens near the Dimona nuclear reactor as it landed in southern Israel, AFP reports. Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeWhy it matters: The exchange, which Syrian state media said wounded four of its soldiers, marked the biggest clashes between the two countries in years.No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but Iranian troops and proxies operate in Syria and the incident indicates Iran's involvement, AP notes. It comes amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran. BREAKING: A surface-to-air missile was fired from Syria to Israel’s southern Negev.In response, we struck the battery from which the missile was launched and additional surface-to-air batteries in Syria.— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) April 22, 2021 More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free