A3
THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2021
Offi cer guilty of murder in Floyd’s death
By AARON MORRISON
and KAT STAFFORD
Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS — Relief, even
if fl eeting and momentary, is a feel-
ing that Black Americans have rarely
known in America: From slavery
to Jim Crow segregation to endur-
ing punishments for living while
Black, a breath of fresh air untainted
by oppression has long been hard to
come by.
Nonetheless, the conviction of
ex-cop Derek Chauvin for murder-
ing George Floyd nearly a year ago
allowed many across this city and the
nation to exhale pent-up anxiety —
and to inhale a sense of hope.
But what might they feel hope for?
The fate of Chauvin — found
guilty of murder and manslaugh-
ter for holding a knee to Floyd’s
neck, choking off his breathing until
he went limp last May — showed
Black Americans and their compatri-
ots once again that the legal system is
capable of valuing Black lives.
Or at least it can hold one white
police offi cer in Minnesota account-
able for what many declared an
unambiguous act of murder months
ago.
“This may be the beginning of the
restoration of believing that a justice
system can work,” said civil rights
leader Martin Luther King III, echo-
ing a sentiment that many expressed.
“But we have to constantly stay
on the battlefi eld in a peaceful and
nonviolent way and make demands,”
he said. “This has been going on for
years and one case, one verdict, does
not change how systematic racism
has worked in our system.”
Alexandria De La Cruz, a Min-
neapolis mother, brought her 7-year-
old daughter to the intersection near
where Floyd was murdered, now
dubbed George Floyd Square. Along
with the hundreds who gathered there
— Black, white and otherwise — De
La Cruz erupted in cheers after it was
announced Chauvin was guilty on all
three counts.
“I feel relief that the justice system
is working — it’s working today,” De
La Cruz said.
Her daughter, Jazelle, sported a
hooded sweatshirt that read, “Stop
killing Black people.” Perhaps that’s
a reminder, her mom said, that there’s
still work to do to ensure the feeling
of relief isn’t so fl eeting this time.
“It’s important to bring her (to the
SPORTS
Three Warrenton
pitchers no-hit Tigers
The Astorian
Morry Gash/AP Photo
People cheer after a guilty verdict was announced at the trial of a former
Minneapolis police offi cer for the 2020 death of George Floyd.
square), so she can see what’s hap-
pening to our people, so that she can
see what this country really is,” De La
Cruz said.
Black Americans have seen simi-
lar moments before. In recent years,
they followed the convictions of
the offi cers who killed Oscar Grant,
Laquan McDonald and Walter Scott.
Still, some of these victims’ families
continue to press for broader account-
ability from a policing culture they
say has never proved it is meaning-
fully changed or reformed after the
convictions of police offi cers.
And even as the Chauvin trial
moved into its fi nal days, the Twin
Cities region and the nation were
rocked by yet another police killing
of an unarmed Black man. This time
it was 20-year-old Daunte Wright, in
Brooklyn Center, roughly 10 miles
north of Minneapolis.
Keith Ellison, Minnesota’s fi rst
Black attorney general, said the jury’s
decision was a reminder of how dif-
fi cult it has been to enact endur-
ing change and prevent the kind of
upheaval and civil unrest that ignited
the nation and the world last summer.
Furthermore, Ellison pointed
out, America has known about and
largely ignored the root causes of the
upheaval and uneasiness in Black
communities. More than a half-cen-
tury ago, the Kerner and McComb
commissions empaneled to study
racial unrest warned of the dangers of
doing just that.
“Here we are in 2021 still address-
ing the same problem,” Ellison said.
“This has to end. We need true jus-
tice. That’s not one case. That is a
social transformation that says that
nobody’s beneath the law, and no one
is above it.”
Rashad Robinson, president of
Color of Change, an online racial
justice group, echoed the attorney
general.
“We cannot, every single time,
have uprisings to deliver justice nor
should we have to be in a conver-
sation about holding police offi cers
accountable when they go around
killing us,” Robinson said.
So again, what might Black Amer-
icans hope for after the outcome of
Chauvin’s trial?
It can’t be about simply getting
more police in front of a judge and
jury, or about locking more of them
up, said Miski Noor, an activist with
the Twin Cities-based Black Visions
Collective.
“That doesn’t actually stop the
murders of Black people,” said Noor.
“We’re trying to get into a world
where lives are not lost, when Black
people actually get to live.”
That’s the hope.
As relieved as Floyd’s family
members are by the guilty verdicts,
none see this as a bookend to the pur-
suit for justice. And three other for-
mer Minneapolis police offi cers face
trial for the role they played in the
case.
Brandon Williams, a nephew of
Floyd’s, called the verdicts a “pivotal
moment for America.”
“It’s something this country has
needed for a long time now,” he
said. “We need each and every offi -
cer to be held accountable. And until
then, it’s still scary to be a Black man
and woman in America encountering
police.”
Playing its fi rst league game
in nearly two years, the Warren-
ton Warriors made a triumphant
return to their home fi eld Tues-
day, scoring a 16-1 win over
Clatskanie in a Coastal Range
League baseball game.
A lot went right for the War-
riors, as three pitchers combined
on a no-hitter with 11 strikeouts,
while Warrenton capped a good
day at the plate with nine runs in
the fourth inning to end the game
after fi ve.
It was just the opposite for the
Tigers, who committed seven
errors, and four pitchers com-
bined to walk eight.
Josh Earls had Warrenton’s
biggest day at the plate, with
three hits and three RBIs. A bas-
es-loaded single by Earls in the
fourth turned into a two-base
error that scored all three runners.
Duane Falls earned the win on
the mound. The fi rst eight outs
recorded by the Warriors were
strikeouts for Falls, who struck
out eight batters in three innings.
Dawson Little and freshman
Cam’Ron Daniels each pitched
an inning to fi nish the no-hitter.
Warrenton plays a double-
header Friday at Clatskanie.
Loggers defeat Pirates
Even after a year off , not
much has changed between the
Neah-Kah-Nie and Knappa base-
ball teams.
Going back to 2007, the Log-
gers have now beaten the Pirates
in 29 straight meetings, with
the overwhelming majority not
going past fi ve innings.
Tuesday’s game did go the
complete seven, but Knappa
won again, 12-7, in a North-
west League game at Rockaway
Beach.
The Pirates outhit the Log-
gers 10 to fi ve, but Neah-Kah-
Nie also committed six errors and
walked 14 batters.
Kutter Ball had two of Knap-
pa’s fi ve hits, while Cameron
Miethe had a double and scored
twice for the Loggers, who led
9-2 after three-and-a-half innings.
Knappa hosts a doubleheader
Friday with the Pirates.
Astoria blanks Valley
Astoria scored its fi rst win of
the season Monday afternoon, an
8-0 decision over Valley Catholic
at CMH Field.
The Fishermen had all the
runs they would need after one
inning, with four runs in the bot-
tom of the fi rst.
Tony Tumbarello reached on
an error and scored on a double
steal, Gunnar Olson scored on
a base hit by Bo Williams, and
Karson Hawkins drove in Wil-
liams and Niko Boudreau on a
single to center.
Astoria collected eight hits
off three Valley Catholic pitch-
ers, while the Valiants committed
fi ve errors in the fi eld.
Olson was Astoria’s only
multiple hitter, with a single and
a double to go with two runs
scored. Michael Moore scored
twice and Williams drove in two
runs.
Olson also pitched six innings
for the victory, allowing just two
hits and three walks with nine
strikeouts.
Astoria hosts Seaside Friday.
Seaside tops Tillamook
Seaside warmed up for
Wednesday’s Cowapa League
baseball showdown with Banks
with a 9-5 win Monday at
Tillamook.
In a back-and-forth contest,
Seaside led 2-0 after two innings,
Tillamook led 4-2 after three, and
the teams were tied 5-5 after four.
The Gulls scored two runs in
the fi fth and two in the seventh
to pull away, and pitchers Tan-
ner Kraushaar and Justin Morris
did the rest, holding Tillamook
to seven hits and four walks with
seven strikeouts.
Meanwhile, Tillamook pitch-
ers Trask Petersen and Junior
Gonzalez struck out 18 batters
with just two walks and seven
hits allowed.
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The 17th Annual Soup Bowl will be held
May 1st at 7pm. It will be an online event.
Tickets are $50, and can be bought on
our website, harbornw.org/soupbowl.
The Soup Bowl is our biggest fundraising
event of the year, and proceeds go to The
Harbor, and its mission of helping survivors
of domestic and sexual violence in our
community.
Every ticket bought will come with a free
ceramic bowl from our potter Richard
Rowland and his team of volunteers.
These bowls are one-of-a-kind works of
art, and their supply is limited, so buy your
tickets soon.
This year since it’s an online event we’ve changed things
up a bit. Since we still want people to have the soup
they remember, each ticket will come with a pack of 5
Soupons, good for a free soup from local participating
restaurants if ticket holders spend $20 there.
Participating restaurants include:
Bridgewater Bistro
Corbins
The Green Door Cafe
T. Paul’s Supper Club
T. Paul’s Urban Cafe
Good to Go
Arnie’s Cafe
Ship Out
Peter Pan Market & Deli
Fort George Brewery +
Public House
Cannon Beach Hardware +
Public House
Seasons Cafe