By Nelson A. King
In a case that gripped global attention,
Caribbean and other elected
officials on Tuesday welcomed the
conviction of former Minneapolis
police officer Derek Chauvin in the
death of George Floyd, a Black man,
on May 25, 2020.
The 12-member, mixed race jury
deliberated for just over 10 hours
before declaring Chauvin, 45, a white
former police officer, guilty on all
three charges of second-degree murder,
third-degree murder and seconddegree
manslaughter.
A video, captured by a teenage
girl, which was repeatedly shown in
the televised court hearing, showed
Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck
for nine minutes and 29 seconds, as
he pleaded for his life, before dying.
Floyd was 46.
“Derek Chauvin was given the due
process he denied George Floyd, and
he must serve his sentence,” Caribbean
American Democratic Congresswoman
Yvette D. Clarke told
Caribbean Life soon after the verdict.
“He was convicted and found guilty
on all three counts.
“While this verdict will not bring
George Floyd back, this is also a proud
day for America,” added Clarke, the
daughter of Jamaican immigrants,
who represents the largely Caribbean
9th Congressional District in
Brooklyn.
“This verdict is a start — and the
sentencing must match the egregious
nature of the crime — but it
does not absolve Congress and the
federal government of our responsibility
to reform policing across the
country,” she added. “And it is a
reminder of the need for the Senate
to pass the George Floyd Justice In
Policing Act. Black Lives still, and
always will, matter!”
Clarke’s congressional colleague,
Hakeem Jeffries – who represents the
adjacent 8th Congressional District
that includes parts of Brooklyn and
Queens, and also comprises a significant
number of Caribbean nationals
– said that, in the aftermath
of Floyd’s killing, “people of good
will throughout America spoke up,
stood up and showed up to demand
justice.
“The jury has spoken and delivered
a just verdict by convicting Derek
Chauvin of murder,” said Jeffries,
chairman of the House of Representative’s
Democratic Caucus.
Caribbean Life, APRIL 23-29, 2021 5
From left: Deonne Crichton-Bailey, Phyllis Payne-Dublin, Fayola Alexander, Judith Lewis and Jen Alexanderassist
in packing a barrel with relief supplies. Photo by Nelson A. King
Vincentians rally for massive
volcano relief in Brooklyn
By Nelson A. King
Vincentians and other Caribbean
nationals in New York over the weekend
rallied around St. Vincent and the
Grenadines in its plea for urgent aid
amid continuing explosive eruptions of
La Soufrière volcano.
Hundreds answered the call, bringing
relief supplies and assisting in the
packing of boxes, barrels and crates, on
Saturday and Sunday, at the Friends of
Crown Heights Educational Center, 671
Prospect Pl., Brooklyn.
“I got a little teary-eyed when I
entered FOCH (Friends of Crown
Heights),” Verna Arthur, chairperson
of the Brooklyn-based SVG Relief USA,
Inc., organizer of the massive relief
drive, told Caribbean Life. “It was very
heart-warming.
“It’s expected that Vincentians would
respond to our country’s clarion call,
because that’s what we do without hesitation,
but the outpouring of support
of our Caribbean brothers and sisters,
and other countries, is astounding,” she
added. “Vincentians are very resilient,
and we are in this for the long haul. And
when this volcano goes to sleep, we will
‘Lift SVG Higher.’
“On behalf of SVG Relief USA, Inc.,
thanks to all who have contributed
thus far, and thanks to our volunteers,”
Arthur continued. “Without you, this
drive would not have come to fruition.
And to the members of SVG Relief USA
Inc., you rock.”
Lennox Joslyn — chairman of the
Fundraising Committee of the Brooklyn
based Council of St. Vincent and
the Grenadines Organizations, USA,
Inc. (COSAGO), the umbrella Vincentian
group in the US, an affiliate of SVG
Relief USA, Inc. — also told Caribbean
Life that he was blown away by the outpouring
of support.
“Tremendous turnout!” said Joslyn,
a Queens resident. “The strongest support
that a Vincy committee in New
York has seen over the years.
“I love this coming together,” he
added. “It’s a wonderful experience, and
I wish we can do this all the time.”
New York City Public Advocate
Jumaane Williams, the son of Grenadian
immigrants, and Congresswoman
Yvette D. Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican
immigrants, were also on hand.
“We all have a responsibility to lift
each other up in times of disaster — to
do what we can, with what we have, for
people and communities in need,” Williams
told Caribbean Life afterwards.
“I urge my fellow Caribbeans, my
fellow New Yorkers, to join me in helping
to support the people of St. Vincent
and the Grenadines, to get them crucial
funding and supplies, as they face
the compounding crises of a natural
disaster and the ongoing pandemic,”
he added.
The Brooklyn-based St. Vincent and
the Grenadines Progressive Organization
of New York, Inc. (SPOONY), the
New York arm of the main opposition
New Democratic Party (NDP) in St.
Vincent and the Grenadines, also urged
nationals to chip in in the massive relief
effort.
“SPOONY is one of several organizations
of Vincentian origin collecting
donations to be sent to the island,” said
SPOONY president Stephen “Scombo”
John, a former unsuccessful electoral
candidate in St. Vincent and the Grenadines,
in an appeal to supporters and
friends.
“One hundred percent of our collections
would be sent to help relieve the
pain and suffer of our brothers and sisters,”
he added. “If you are able, we ask
that you join us in this effort.”
John said his group was expected
to collect on Saturday toiletries, blankets,
sheets, clothing and monetary
donations at Café Omar, a lounge, on
Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn, owned
by Vincentian podiatrist Dr. Kendall
Stewart.
The Orlando-based St. Vincent and
the Grenadines Central Florida Organization
(SVGCFO) has also asked nationals
in the area to help in the massive
relief effort.
SVG Consul General to New York,
Howie Prince labeling a barrel at
Friends of Crown Heights Educational
Center. Photo by Nelson A. King
Carib pols
welcome
guilty
verdict