By Koda Slingluff
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Crowds outside of a Minneapolis courtroom huddled over their phones and listened Tuesday. It had been three weeks of trial for Derek Chauvin, the former police officer who pressed unarmed civilian George Floyd’s body against asphalt.
Viewers worldwide watched video as Floyd cried, “I can’t breathe,” and called out for his mother until his voice grew slow and heavy. He died with Chauvin’s knee pressed on his neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds.
And now, a year after the wanton killing, the tension was palpable for Minnesotans waiting outside.
For Count 1, the crime of unintentional murder in the 2nd degree, the judge’s voice rang out “guilty.” The crowd erupted in cheers. And soon, Chauvin was found guilty of all three counts against him— 2nd degree murder, 3rd degree murder, and 2nd degree manslaughter.
After a year of nationwide and worldwide protests and cries of long-ignored brutality against Black Americans by peace officers, this verdict was momentous. But beneath the world’s flurry of activity and relief, other voices echoed through the day.
On Twitter, Parler, and other social media, dissenters voiced their frustrations. Their sentiments centered around cancel culture, crowd intimidation, and unreasonable influence from officials like U.S. Representative Maxine Waters.
Just minutes after the verdict, one user on Parler posted, “Maxine Waters got her way, no matter how inappropriate it is. They convicted him because of being woke, and probably not based on 
the evidence. And this now will set precedence so police will no longer be able to protect law abiding citizens.
“This country is over. We are history. We are now ruled by the mob, and it is not a righteous mob. Welcome to the Marxist Nazi Fascist States of America. United States is no more, and will NEVER be the right way again.”
The post touched on numerous right-wing frustrations, though, interestingly, it also showed many contradictions.
For instance, the claim that police will not be able to protect law-abiding citizens does not seem to consider that protestors opposing Chauvin’s actions have the exact same concern. Proponents of movements like Black Lives Matter would likely argue that the police do not adequately protect citizens, given how (in this case) they murder them at traffic stops.
Another Parler user, responding to a post by Sean Hannity, said, “This wasn’t a trial of one man. This was the trial of the entire American police force. This wasn’t racism, I can agree with manslaughter because watching the entire nine minute long video I know in my heart I would have thought to check on him. However in this current political climate I, too, would have been worried about the crowd. Chauvin was burned at the stake.”
The “crowd”—no mention of this—was about a dozen people, about one-third children.
Again, the post outlines common conservative talking points in the same breath as clear contradictions.
To say that someone was “burned at the stake” for being prosecuted for a murder shows a clear dissonance between the crime and the criminal. After all, if Chauvin’s three-week trial was akin to an execution, what does that make the trial-less dead man under his knee?
“Maxine has proven that the left has no limits and no repercussions,” the user continued, referencing Waters’ comments from last weekend.
Rep. Waters came under fire for her comments that if Chauvin were not found guilty, protestors ought to “get more confrontational” and “make sure they know we mean business.” The comments caused many Republicans to claim she was inciting violence.
On Twitter, police fraternity FOPLodge5 reacted by posting a Blue Lives Matter flag, captioned, “On behalf of President John McNesby and the FOP Lodge #5 Executive Board, a message to our department: be safe, be smart, and go home. We are behind you.”
A Parler user with the name Dare 2 Speak Free said, “Voter intimidation works then, doesn’t it? Fear of #cancelculture and #doxxing terrorism is great leverage. It looks like celebration riots it will be then.”
The commentary continues to show concern and unrest at what is viewed as an unfair, misinformed verdict for Chauvin. Mentions of cancel culture and perceived injustice peppers the opinions of many. And though many celebrate the Chauvin verdict as a long-overdue step toward police accountability, those opposed ruminate online.
Encapsulating some of this underbelly, a Parler user with a confederate flag profile picture said the following, “It says when good cops are being arrested and convicted for just doing their jobs! BACK THE BLUE ALWAYS.”
Koda is a junior at UC Berkeley, majoring in Philosophy and minoring in Rhetoric. He is from Ventura, CA.
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