Student Union
Social Media Was Major Witness in Chauvin Trial
Young people say that the conviction Tuesday of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd, an African American, is a step toward justice and social media is a tool in curbing police brutality.
"It is definitely a step towards justice," said George Mason University junior Shelby Adams. "However, young people, especially young people of color, know that this is not a complete victory and win until no one else dies or falls at the hands of police brutality. It just shows how there is so much more work left," she said.
Adams pointed to social media as having a huge impact in Chauvin's conviction.
"Without (videos), incidents like this would just happen with no one knowing," she said. "Videotaping puts a spotlight on the racism and bigotry we have in our criminal justice system that some people may not have realized before."
On May 25, 2020, Darnella Frazier, then 17, recorded the scene of Chauvin pressing his knee into the neck of a handcuffed Floyd on her smartphone camera and uploaded the video to Facebook. That video spread throughout social media and launched a series of protests over police brutality and racism.
Other bystanders also provided video showing different angles of the scene, and Chauvin's body camera also captured some footage.
The videos show a heated and confused scene in which bystanders yelled at police to stop their actions as Floyd's life ebbed away.
Frazier "had the strength and the wherewithal to share this horrendous act to the eyes of America," said College of William & Mary freshman Lasata Tuladhar. "After witnessing this, I realized that there must be so many situations involving the police like Floyd's murder that haven't been shared and brought to justice."
At a news conference, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison also mentioned the actions of passersby on the day of Floyd’s death: "The people who stopped and raised their voices on May 25, 2020, were a bouquet of humanity: young and old, men and women, black and white. A man from the neighborhood walking to get a drink. A child going to buy a snack. An off-duty firefighter on her way to a community garden. Brave young women who pressed 'record' on their phones. Why did they stop?"
William & Mary sophomore Liam Fish, who is studying social justice, explained that social media allowed people to take action against police brutality and racism.
"I think that pressure on them to do something and that type of mobilization wouldn't have been made possible without social media," Fish said.
The downside, Fish said, is the emotional response to seeing images of brutality over and over. His girlfriend has said that as a Black person, she finds it overwhelming when people post graphic content such as the Floyd video, Fish added.
"I don't think people should really be sharing the video, at least not without putting a warning. Those graphics, especially to a person of color, can be really triggering," he said.
"The Chauvin trial has shown young people that they can be involved in a movement and create meaningful change," said Hollins University sophomore Claire Ross, who is on the prelaw track.
Camden Crystal, a first-year student at Cardozo School of Law in New York City, reinforces the idea that if not for social media, the case might not have received as much attention.
"This one case does not represent a solution for the issues in the police system," Crystal said. "It is entirely possible that if not for the national attention this case received, Chauvin's case would not have gone the same way, due to the power and influence of the police in criminal justice."
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Police arrest 33 at George Washington University protest encampment
Police in Washington cleared a pro-Palestinian protest encampment at George Washington University early Wednesday, arresting 33 people, authorities said.
Arrests were made on charges of assault on a police officer and unlawful entry, the District of Columbia's Metropolitan Police Department said.
A congressional committee canceled a hearing on the university encampment Wednesday. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Washington Police Chief Pamela Smith had been scheduled to testify about the city’s handling of the protest before the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.
University parents and faculty members gathered Wednesday afternoon for a press conference to condemn the handling of the protests by police and school leaders.
“The university clearly does not value the students at all and has endangered the safety of our children by unleashing officers dressed in full riot gear to assault and spray our children in their eyes with pepper spray,” said Hala Amer, whose son participated in the campus protests.
Police said they dispersed demonstrators because "there has been a gradual escalation in the volatility of the protest."
American University professor Barbara Wien said she stayed in the encampment with GW students. She described the student protesters as democratic and peaceful.
Police started to shut down the tent encampment after dozens of protesters marched to GW President Ellen Granberg's on-campus home on Tuesday night. Police were called, but no arrests were made.
Speakers at the conference called for Granberg’s resignation because, they alleged, she refused to meet and negotiate with student protesters.
“You keep inciting violence and ignoring the students,” Amer said about Granberg in an interview with VOA after the conference. “It will just lead to more violence. You need to talk to your students.”
GW officials warned students that they could be suspended for engaging in protests at the school’s University Yard, an outdoor spot on the campus.
"While the university is committed to protecting students' rights to free expression, the encampment had evolved into an unlawful activity, with participants in direct violation of multiple university policies and city regulations," a GW statement said.
More than 2,600 people have been arrested at universities across the country in pro-Palestinian protests, according to The Associated Press.
Students are calling on their university administrations to divest investments from Israel or companies with ties to Israel. Demonstrators have gathered in at least 50 campuses since April 17, carrying signs that read "Free Palestine" and "Hands off Rafah."
Rafah is Gaza’s southernmost city, where most of the territory’s population has clustered. The area is also a corridor for bringing humanitarian aid into the Palestinian territory.
Israel seized the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing on Tuesday, while shutting off the nearby Kerem Shalom crossing, drawing criticism from humanitarian groups. Israel said Wednesday that it had reopened Kerem Shalom.
The nationwide campus protests started in response to Israel's offensive in Gaza that began after Hamas launched a terror attack on Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 hostages.
More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's offensive, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Israel warned it could "deepen" its operation in Rafah if talks failed to secure the release of the hostages.
Some information for this report came from The Associated Press.
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