TORONTO - Nearly three hours after I posted my commentary below, the jury of 12 people (six white, and six Black and multi-racial descent) found Derek Chauvin guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, live news reports said Tuesday, April 20, 2021.
Volume 2, Issue No. 61
OPINION/COMMENTARY
/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /
. . . . . A community service of The Filipino Web Channel (TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail. com) and the Philippine Village Voice (PhilVoiceNews@gmail.com) for the information and understanding of Filipinos and the diverse communities in North America . . .
Our latest as of Tuesday, April 20, 2021
~ A government prosecutor in Minneapolis catches attention for his effective use of a literary device in arguing the case against a local police officer accused in the death of a Black man. The parallelism between the defendant and the deceased victim would not escape notice for the unspoken things inferred from the acts by the former that led to the death of the latter.
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SIDEBAR TO CHAUVIN TRIAL
The Power of Words in Legal Arguments
By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ
Editor, The Filipino Web Channel
“The world won't be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.” ―
TORONTO - Many of us who make a living writing prose and poetry would surely appreciate how language is employed to convey a message effectively.
We take lessons, read books, brush up on evolving word usage, and continually upgrade on changing writing and spelling styles such as those put out annually by newspapers and wire services like the Canadian Press, The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, the Associated Press, etc.
Their stylebooks are essentially their bibles. American English differs from British English in their spelling. For example, color and colour, neighbor and neighbour, theater and theatre, center and centre, labor and labour, liter and litre, endeavor and endeavour, and many others.
Yesterday (Monday, April 19), I kept glued listening to the closing arguments in the case against Derek Chauvin, the white former Minneapolis police officer, accused of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd, who was Black.
Chauvin's trial, started on March 8 and broadcast live on all the networks, had wrapped up amidst fears its outcome would trigger widespread protests. The jury is expected to hand down its verdict anytime in the next few days or weeks.
Three other former Minneapolis police officers - Thomas Lane, Alexander Kueng, and Tou Thao - will have their case heard on August 23.
What really caught my particular attention was Prosecutor Jerry Blackwell's summation - succinct, incisive, and forceful.
“You were told," he states, addressing the jury, "that Mr. Floyd died because his heart was too big, but the truth of the matter is the reason George Floyd is dead is because Mr. Chauvin’s heart was too small.”
Clearly, in one sentence, Blackwell tosses the argument advanced by defense lawyer Eric Nelson that an enlarged heart and use of drugs were vital to Floyd's death.
Blackwell resorted to a literary device - called parallelism in English grammar - to emphasize significant, albeit unstated, points. One, that Chauvin was callous; two, that he was a brute; and three, that he was unreasonable.
The phrase " . . . George Floyd is dead is because Mr. Chauvin’s heart was too small” hints at images of a person too disdainful to even consider opening himself up to others. Or someone so uncharitable. I personally believe it did not escape notice by the jury.
Without explicitly talking about Chauvin's demeanor holding his knee on Floyd's neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds while he was handcuffed, pinned down on the pavement, and gasping for breath, Blackwell painted an apathetic police officer supposedly sworn to protect and serve the people.
The numerous videos taken from different vantage points and shown during the trial were too graphic as to evoke rage among viewers. In fact, Blackwell's words seem superfluous, except that he had to verbalize everything as required by the justice system.
Even if Chauvin looks guilty for Floyd's death, he is presumed innocent until the contrary is proven in court beyond a reasonable doubt. That grim task is reserved for a jury of his peers to decide.
Now, sitting back after hours of watching the trial online, I am more than convinced to rely on Blackwell's parting words: " . . . George Floyd is dead is because Mr. Chauvin’s heart was too small”. (Copyright 2021. All Rights Reserved).
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