Stephen Jackson says that the 22.5-year sentence could never be enough to make up for the loss of George Floyd.
On Friday, Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison for the murder of George Floyd, a heinous act caught on camera during the early days of the pandemic last year that sparked a nationwide call for justice. From Chauvin being found guilty in April to President Joe Biden making Juneteenth an official national holiday earlier this month, Floyd’s tragic passing has inspired the United States to take some crucial steps toward mending the historically tense race relations, but Chauvin’s sentence of 270 months has many divided as to whether the judge made the right call.
Naturally, people have been waiting to hear from Stephen Jackson, one of Floyd’s close friends, about his opinion on Chauvin’s sentencing, and finally the All The Smoke co-host has posted an official video statement to Instagram. At the start of the video, Jackson pleads people to stop calling his phone for his input on the sentencing, and to make his stance clear, he offers his definitive thoughts on the situation once and for all.
“Long Live Georgie,” Jackson writes in the video’s caption. “I done seen brothers get life for a slab of crack. Smdh.”
Stephen Jackson starts his video off by saying, “I’m sitting here trying to work. Please stop calling my phone, I don’t give a damn about no 22 years. It ain’t gonna bring my twin back. It ain’t gonna bring GiGi daddy back. It ain’t gonna stop nobody tears. It ain’t gonna stop GiGi for asking where her daddy at and how much she miss him. So I don’t give a damn about no 22 years — it ain’t never enough.”
“But I’mma continue to step in his name,” Jackson continues. “And I’mma continue to do my part. I miss you Georgie. GiGi miss you, and we gon’ continue to ride…I’mma mourn you ’til I join you…We ain’t gon’ stop. 22 years ain’t enough. Can’t bring you back. I miss you bro.”
Check out the All The Smoke co-host’s brief Instagram statement on Derek Chauvin’s 22.5-year sentence below.
How do you feel about Stephen Jackson’s position on the issue? Do you think that Chauvin’s sentencing was fair?