Friday, June 25, 2021

Hey, kids, let’s start the weekend off with some good news. Former Minnesota cop Derek Chauvin was handed a 22.5-year sentence today for the murder of George Floyd over a twenty-dollar bill. While this isn’t optimal and some people get longer sentences for being caught with a joint, it is a step in the right direction.

Since conviction for the murder of Floyd in April, Chauvin has been held in solitary confinement at Oak Park Heights, about a half-hour west of Minneapolis. While unusual, it’s the state’s only high-security prison, and let’s face it, Chauvin is certainly at risk while incarcerated. The sentencing does exceed the minimum standards for Chauvin’s conviction but falls short of the 30 years prosecutors were going for.

Chauvin and the three cops who watched him kneel on Floyd’s neck still face federal charges of abusing civil rights. His lawyer requested a retrial, claiming the media coverage tainted the jury pool, but the sentencing judge told him to go kick rocks. Again, this is a step in the right direction and has been hailed as a civil rights victory. However, Congress has yet to pass the George Floyd Justice In Policing Act to address the desperate need for police reform in precincts across the country. The police themselves have been responding to the added scrutiny they’re facing by quitting in droves, which probably won’t have the effect they’re hoping.

Moving on, officials are still digging through the rubble of a condo building that collapsed early Thursday in a Miami suburb without warning. As of current writing, four folks have been found dead and 159 are reported missing. The Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida – an island suburb of Miami – went down in the wee hours of Thursday morning and, as of yet, no one knows quite why.

The building was the subject of a 2015 lawsuit over repair issues. That was settled out of court and it’s unknown if it has any connection to yesterday’s collapse. Surfside is said to be a hot property in the Miami area, but this raises questions about how safe housing there is. One suggestion put forth involved the corrosive effect of seawater and the salty air; anyone who’s lived near the ocean knows it’ll do a number on your car’s finish. What may be safe for building further in Florida might be insufficient for right on the beach, that sort of thing.

But at this point, that’s all speculation as is pretty much any other suggestion. The twelve-story building was forty years old, which puts it about average with its neighbors. Climate change inarguably plays a role and a possible sinkhole was advanced as a cause, but as of yet, rescue efforts take precedent over everything. There also seems to be a fire smoking under the rubble that officials can’t get to, complicating the issues. Unfortunately, due to the added weight, rescuers have to let it burn. So far, no survivors have been found and everyone is starting to lose hope.

Prayers, good vibes, donations, or whatever you got.