Rantz: Do you care what these Seattle-area politicians think about the Derek Chauvin verdict?

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all three counts for the death of George Floyd. What followed was a jockeying for attention. Press releases from desperate politicians then flooded our inboxes. They were hoping the media could amplify their messages and get them in front of progressive voters.

So, progressive readers who hate-clicked this post, I have a question: Do you really care what they have to say?

The moment the verdict came in, media members were hit with statements from politicians wholly disconnected from the trial. King County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove had something to say! Curious about City Manager Elizabeth Pauli’s thoughts? No? Too bad. She has a statement, too.

The statements had little to do with the verdict. They had more to do with forwarding a radical political agenda and/or their careers. And they don’t care if they exploit Floyd’s death in the process.

Performative virtue signaling, exploitative publicity

Had Chauvin been declared not guilty on any or all charges, left-wing radicals would have used it as proof that our criminal justice system is racist and must be dismantled.

But with guilty verdicts on all three charges, politicians had to quickly shift their narrative. They obviously couldn’t reflect on their position and use this trial as a reason to rethink their position, even though the verdicts conflict with their claims. That would show a level of thoughtfulness for which they are incapable.

As I predicted, they mostly stuck to the same script: While the result is just, it’s not enough. The system is still broken (even though they got their result) and transformative reforms are necessary. Reforms that, of course, guarantee they always get the results they want from juries, like they did in the Chauvin trial.

A parade of statements

Snohomish County Councilmember Megan Dunn, who glorified Antifa violence against police, released her statement, in case you were wondering: “This is a step in the right direction for justice, but there is still a lot of work to do.”

Seattle Councilmember Tammy Morales, who infamously endorsed violent riots and destructive looting after Floyd was killed last year, used the verdict to tell the world “one conviction does not change the 400 years of systemic racism in our country.” King County Executive Dow Constantine said we should now “hope that the jury verdict today will mark a shift – a break in a system poisoned by racism.”

The City of Seattle actually held a press conference about the verdict. It included Councilmembers Lorena Gonzalez and Lisa Herbold. They both want to fire police officers for being white. I wonder what their take could possibly be after the verdict?

Seattle Councilmember Kshama Sawant, of course, immediately used the verdict to attack capitalism and spread a conspiracy that unnamed powers sacrificed Chauvin. This is a talking point currently spread by Seattle’s Antifa radicals. It’s insane.

The virulently anti-police Socialist mentions the 319 people killed by police. She’s hoping the public won’t realize she includes criminals shot while literally trying to murder innocent people. Sawant lives that ACAB lifestyle.

We have to be sober. The ruling class – incl Democrats who presided over George Floyd’s death – would sacrifice one “bad apple” to prop up their rotten tree. The criminal justice system is still intact. Just this year, 319 people have been killed nationally at the hands of police

— Kshama Sawant (@cmkshama) April 20, 2021

Why do we care what they think?

Do you honestly care what they think about this? They’re not saying anything new. You’ve heard them say everything before. It’s a Mad Libs press release where they just replaced some words but take the exact same position.

They’re rushing to cash in on the social currency that comes with calling out police, blaming systemic racism of institutions that they are in charge of, while offering talking points they stole from someone on Twitter. And where does that leave us? Exactly where we began a year ago.

There’s no acknowledgment that the justice system worked — even though they said it wouldn’t. They do not accept that the entire country came together after the Floyd death to condemn what happened. They can’t even say they are pleased with the verdict. Why? Because they will never be pleased and this was never about Floyd.

Most of the politicians pushing the same talking points for a year have done so for one of two reasons: 1. Self promotion/brand building, or 2. dismantling institutions and rebuilding them through a radical social justice lens.

Locally? It’s more of number one than number two. They’re not talking to me — I’m not the progressive activist they want in their corners. They’re talking to the activist class out there marching and demonstrating and rioting.

So, again, do you really care about what these politicians have to say when they’re only saying it so you give them a pat on the back, a small dollar donation to their re-election campaign, and a vote in their next election?

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