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The Daily Northwestern Thursday, April 22, 2021
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Community reacts to Chauvin verdict Despite conviction, local organizers say more work is needed BY MOLLY LUBBERS and ALEX PERRY the daily northwestern @mollylubbers, @whoisalexperry
Content warning: This story contains mentions of police violence.
Waverly Long/Daily Senior Staffer
Rev. Michael Nabors of Second Baptist Church, the main organizer of the vigil, speaks about remembering the Black men, women and children who have been killed by police. Nabors emphasized the number of trials in which justice has not been served and urged the community to continue the fight for justice.
Residents honor George Floyd
At interfaith vigil, community leaders call for further anti-racist action BY WAVERLY LONG daily senior staffer @waverly_long
Over 60 Evanston residents gathered to honor George Floyd and affirm the work of the Black Lives Matter movement at a vigil Wednesday evening, a day after the conviction of former Minneapolis
police officer Derek Chauvin. The gathering, held at the Downtown Evanston Farmers’ Market, was sponsored by numerous churches and synagogues, alongside the city and Northwestern. Rev. Michael Nabors of Second Baptist Church, the main organizer of the event, honored the lives of the Black men, women and
children who have been killed by police, emphasizing in his speech the number of trials in which justice has not been served. He then read a statement written by a Northwestern Ph.D. student, who stressed that though the verdict of the Chauvin trial was just, the result isn’t indicative of systemic change. “The police state that is naming
Chauvin guilty is the same police state that killed George Floyd,” Nabors read. “We have to sit with the fact that the contours of antiBlack power actually requires these occasional breaks and movements of justice in order to keep the very wheels of anti-Black power turning.”
» See INTERFAITH VIGIL, page 6
Evanston and Northwestern community members continue to grieve George Floyd following Tuesday’s conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. For many, this verdict is not enough. Before local activist Darlene Cannon heard Chauvin was convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, she said she expected him to be found innocent — not because he wasn’t guilty, but because she thought the system would protect him. “I was happy there was accountability, but saddened that George Floyd lost his life. His daughter has to grow up without a father,” she said. “Black people live in fear. People just want to be free, and we just want to live.” Weinberg freshman Zai Dawodu also said she didn’t expect Chauvin to be found guilty on all three charges. When she heard the news on social media, Dawodu said
she started crying. “It was a step in the right direction — like a little bit of hope that maybe America can become better,” Dawodu said. “We don’t have to have cops killing people and if cops do kill people and maybe we can get some justice for it.” Despite the jury’s verdict, Cannon said Chauvin’s conviction won’t prevent further police violence. Just before the verdict was read, a police officer shot and killed 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant in Columbus, Ohio. With every killing, Cannon said Black people have to live and relive trauma. “The current system that we have in place, obviously, is not working,” Cannon said. “We have to reimagine what safety means, and most importantly who gets to be safe, and who doesn’t, who gets to go home alive, and who doesn’t.” McCormick freshman Nick Baird said while he likes to think reform is possible, the lack of change in the past year is pushing him to believe abolition is necessary. Baird said he hopes the verdict impacts police forces to “see their flaws and try to address them.” An Evanston Fight for Black Lives organizer, who asked to remain anonymous for her safety, said for justice to be realized, police and prisons need to be abolished and replaced with life-giving institutions.
» See REACTION, page 6
Council may cut Pandemic changes affect admissions Board of Ethics Test-optional policies, virtual accessibility cause record low admit rate Replacement to be voted on at April 26 council meeting BY JACOB FULTON daily senior staffer @jacobnfulton
City Council is slated to vote on a proposal to eliminate Evanston’s current Board of Ethics on April 26. Currently, the Board of
Ethics, which reports to the Rules Committee, serves as the accountability body for the city’s elected officials and consists of five residents appointed by the mayor. Under the proposal, the board would be eliminated entirely, and instead be replaced by a Special Counsel, which the mayor would appoint and City Council would approve. The Special Counsel would
» See RULES, page 6
BY DIEGO RAMOS-BECHARA the daily northwestern @d_ramos42
Waiting for her March 26 admissions decision from Northwestern, Sofía Meléndez said she felt two emotions –– anxiety and excitement. Once her phone buzzed with an email notification, Meléndez said she mustered all her courage and opened the decision letter, letting out a joyful scream when she saw she was admitted into the
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class of 2025. “That entire day had just been a complete build-up of anxiety,” Meléndez said. “So when I saw that decision, my first instinct was to cry and call all my friends. I was so overwhelmed.” NU admissions have always been competitive, and the pandemic only heightened this difficulty. The University saw its lowest acceptance rate in history this year, admitting just 6.8 percent of the 47,633 first-year applicants this
» See SELECTIVITY, page 6
Daily file graphic by Carly Schulman
Northwestern’s acceptance rate fell to 6.8 percent this year, the lowest in University history.
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