Was George Floyd's murder a result of systemic racism in this country?

Nida (Yes)

George Floyd's murder was the latest in a series of incendiary incidents that bring the issue of racism in the U.S. to the forefront [1]. It is never a single instance, happening in a vacuum. These incidents are symptoms of a cancer--the systemic racism overwhelmingly prevalent in America.  

It starts at birth, when black children don't receive the same standard of education; more destitute, mostly black neighborhoods have schools that are underfunded and understaffed [2]. Black boys are three times, and black girls are four times, more likely to be suspended for the misbehavior that gets their white counterparts a stern talking to [3]. 

The ones who stick it out to get a college degree are still stereotyped as uneducated or 'dumb' [3]. This severely limits the opportunities that are available to them in terms of work and housing [4, 5]. African Americans, like George Floyd, are victims of racial profiling; they are persecuted for being black in America [1]. Racial profiling can have devastating and detrimental psychological, emotional, and, at times, physical effects [6]. Black people are more likely to be arrested and incarcerated; they serve longer jail terms, and too often are shot without provocation[7]. 

Floyd's death was a travesty, a historic day of reckoning that led to massive protests in cities across the U.S. and all over the world [8]. People came out in droves to show solidarity and demand justice for the murder of George Floyd. His tragic death will not be in vain if the protests lead to reforms and accountability on a much larger scale. 

Noah (No)

No. Systemic racism didn't kill George Floyd.

The systemic corruption of our criminal justice system did.

Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd with the usual expectation of police impunity as he played arresting officer, judge, jury, and executioner in just ten minutes [1].

But it wasn't racism that distorted Officer Chauvin's mind. The American system of criminal justice has corrupted not only policemen and women, but FBI agents, DOJ officials, prosecutors, magistrates, judges, prison guards, wardens, politicians, and even defense attorneys [2].

Until the age of bodycams, unethical--even murderous--behavior was often brushed under the rug [3]. And today, law enforcement unions hold immense power over elected officials and usually get a 'bad cop' acquitted and back on the streets [4].

Prosecutors cannot be punished for outright lying in a Federal criminal case; they have immunity even if their lies about a defendant are exposed in open court [5]. Judges, who are supposed to look out for a defendant's rights, now take it upon themselves to act as prosecutor even when the government drops all charges [5].

It's difficult to read into a person's heart. Their actions, however, are another story. Especially when the entire world witnesses the execution of George Floyd on the streets of Minneapolis. 

The video and heart-rending pleas for air are enough to convict Officer Chauvin and the three other policemen who aided and abetted his crime. 'Systemic racism' is not a part of the evidence, nor should it be.

If dramatic change is to come about because of George Floyd's murder, then let it begin by cleaning up, from the ground up, the current corrupt cesspool we now call the American criminal justice system.