Anticipating a Verdict:

Self-Awareness 

Daunte Wright, 2000 -2021

On April 11th, 2021 ~  While anticipating the  verdict from the Chauvin Trial, 20 year old Daunte Wright was shot and killed by a Brooklyn Center Police Officer, who pulled him over for a traffic violation.  Daunte, a former Minneapolis Public School student loss his life due to the fact that the police officer "thought" that she pulled her taser and actually shot him with her gun. This is also know as police brutality.

Anticipating a Verdict Under Extreme Uncertainties 

On April 20th, 2021 ~ One week after the murder of Daunte Wright, the jury in the Chauvin trial "reached a verdict."  Although we didn't know "what" the verdict would be; we did know  that tensions were high all across the Nation. Especially,  in the homes, schools, and communities within Minneapolis and its surrounding cities. Everyday, our youth, and their families, are being traumatized from the sheer "sight and sounds" of the National Guard, and their tanks; the MN State Troopers, and their tickets; the County Sheriffs, and their warrants; and the Local Police - with their tasers, dogs and guns! not to mention the fact that there is no escaping the noise that the helicopters emit as they hover over uprisings that are taking place in communities across the metro area. Having all of these entities descending on us at once, was "more than enough to make us live in a constant state of fear, anxiety, and  hopelessness!" Therefore, many of us did the only thing we knew how to do. We came together in large numbers seeking justice, and healing. The only kind of healing that could possibly quell the feelings associated to the anticipation of a "guilty" verdict.  

Taking into account the historically persistent, consistent and excessive nature of race - based trauma being inflicted on Black folks; in addition to the astronomical number of "not guilty verdicts" that have been handed-down to police officers when criminally charged for killing Black people, it is very important for us as adults to be keenly aware of our own feelings and beliefs as they relate to the intersections of allyship, privilege, bias, uprising/protesting, racial justice, and police brutality. 

Processing Police Brutality Collectively

Together, we will process the police brutality that has been taking place within our community. We will also process  the anticipation of the "verdict"  for the Chauvin Trial.  Therefore, it is imperative that you first review the presentation on Anticipating a Verdict , before holding conversations on this sensitive topic.  As you review the presentation, spend some time identifying how you are feeling about police brutality. The goal here is for you to build a strong foundation for yourself so you can facilitate the conversation with your students. By reviewing this information on your own, you will be able to build empathy and also reduce the amount of anxiety you may/may not be feeling at this given time. As you process this information, be sure to ask yourself: What am I feeling right now? Where am I feeling -it, in my body? Notice your breath, is it shallow or deep? Notice your face, are your jaws tight or your eyebrows cringed? Be advised that your disposition will dictate the emotional climate within your space. 

Lastly, please be mindful of all of your privileges. It's best that adults limit their comments during these discussions to allow students' voices to take center stage. This gives our students the opportunity to create healing centered and civically engaged spaces for themselves. In order to increase student engagement, it is recommended that time be made available for these conversations take place consistently (same time, location, and day of the week). This will help create an environment that is founded on support, safety, and respect for all.

As you prepare for the conversations, consider this:

Notes for the presentation:

Setting the Stage

Ask your audience to start by processing their own individual feelings. Ask them to take some quiet time for self reflection and fill out the prompt on the slide:

• I am feeling ______ because _______. 

Create Agreements on Engagement

There are some suggested engagement agreements in the notes section of the Anticipating a Verdict presentation. 

• Questions to help guide this process: In order to have a space where your audience can process thoughts/feelings about police brutality and what "must" we agree to do? How will we all "show-up" for ourselves and for our peers?

Values

Everyone’s experience, thoughts, and feelings are filtered through their values - our lives are shaped by our values. During today’s conversation we will have a chance to talk about our feelings and thoughts as well as how our values impact our experiences. First let’s talk about what values we bring to school (our spaces) and the values we bring to the conversation today. 

Engaging heads, hearts and hands 

This section will help set up the work on later days. 

• Students will be reminded about empathy.

• Establish What do we know/ What we don’t know. 

  • Example: What do we know : “Over the past five years there has been no reduction in the racial disparity in fatal police shooting”

  • Example: What we don’t know: We don’t know if George Floyd and Chauvin knew each other.

Where can you find factual information (Legal Rights Center : Trial Community Support)