As a law student I did a summer internship in Bulgaria. One day while I was walking to work I saw a large gathering of people standing around the courthouse in Sofia yelling a bunch of threatening sounding chants. I ducked my head and quickly made my way to the office. When I arrived, I asked one of the people I worked with what was happening. She casually said, “oh, someone in the mob is on trial and they’re just trying to intimidate the witnesses.” As an American, this blew my mind. It was troubling to think that witness intimidation was not only happening, but that that Bulgarians acted as if that was normal behavior. I couldn’t believe that this went unchecked and it was done out in the open. But, I rationalized that this was a country still struggling with the after effects of communism. It did not seem possible that this would happen in the United States.
Fast forward 13 years and I’m appalled to see the same behavior. During the Chauvin trial, Black Lives Matter and Antifa have burned and looted stores as a result of another police shooting. It is hard to argue that this did not have mixed motives on the part of the rioters, given that the Chauvin trial was happening. Perhaps more grotesque, a pig’s head was left at a Chauvin trial witness’ former house.
In the America I used to know, this type of behavior would be unanimously denounced and shut down immediately. But not in 2021. Maxine Waters, an active member of Congress, said if Chauvin is not found guilty, that “we got to stay on the street…and we’ve got to get more active. You’ve got to get more confrontational. You got to make sure that they know we mean business.” This is not just a rogue politician. The Democrat party blocked a censure vote against Waters. Every single House Democrat voted against censuring a congresswoman for threatening violence if a jury did not vote a specific way. The Democratic party essentially endorsed juror intimidation.
This article is not to defend Chauvin. I think he should go to jail. But I also don’t think that the evidence supports Murder 2 either. The evidence did not demonstrate that his improper use of force caused George Floyd’s death. I can’t help but think that these intimidation tactics caused Chauvin to get convicted of a worse crime than he actually committed. And, those who riot know it. Check out these social media snapshots:
The rioters have been emboldened. The party who currently has power supports them. The results of this trial have encouraged the behavior. I know Chauvin is not the most sympathetic person. Most of the public agreed that Chauvin’s actions were awful. But what happens at the next trial that the left has rioted over? Will Kyle Rittenhouse receive a fair trial? What about Garrett Rolfe? What about the many other people caught in the crosshairs of similar incidents in 2020? Most of these other incidents are much more debatable than Chauvin’s actions. Will those jurors be faced with violence against their families, homes, and communities if the evidence shows them something contrary to the left’s narrative?
These worries are not something we’re supposed to have in America. America is supposed to represent the rule of law. We have due process placed in our Constitution twice. The right to a fair trial is as American as any principle that can be named. It is corrupt foreign nations that are supposed to deal with this stuff. Not here. Not us. Intimidating by rioting is unamerican. But is American what society wants?