Reactionary forces are rallying to enable police violence and to undermine the accountability that has been hard won through struggle. Minnesota authorities are now appealing for calm if Trump decides to pardon Derek Chauvin, the convicted murderer of George Floyd.
The idea of a federal pardon for Chauvin, whose conviction was only secured after millions flooded the streets in 2020, would spit in the face of the movement that forced a reckoning with police crimes. All those who stand for justice and believe Black lives matter should be on alert. If it happens, this pardon must be met with mass resistance.
Trump’s recent executive order titled “Strengthening and Unleashing America’s Law Enforcement” aims to strip away police oversight, shield killer cops with expanded immunity and defense, and empower the Department of Justice to target and attack local officials who attempt to limit police abuses.
Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka have already been arrested for standing against Trump’s attacks on immigrants—and ICE collaborations with police continue to escalate, in defiance of local sanctuary measures.
This is why we must mobilize. On May 25, the fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s murder, the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression and its allies will take to the streets for a day of action demanding:
Justice for George Floyd and all victims of police terror! Rescind Trump’s police and prison state executive order! Pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act! Community control of the police now!
While Minnesota Governor Tim Walz claims the state conviction will still stand, a federal pardon would represent an unacceptable endorsement of police brutality. It would be a clear message to racist killer cops saying they will be protected. This message reverberates in Trump’s executive order, which is designed to escalate and expand the violence of police and prisons. It also deputizes tens of thousands of additional officers to enforce the ICE operations and detainments that are tearing families apart.
The 2020 rebellion, and the reaction against it, proves our power. To defeat Trump’s agenda, we need a movement that unites all who can be united, and is ready to stand up and fight back. If the pardon rumors become reality, meet us in the streets. Join up with the National Alliance’s call to action on May 25.