By Kristopher Seals
Minneapolis, MN – Almost a year after an act of unfathomable cruelty, the cop who perpetrated the death of George Floyd is now a convicted murderer.
On April 20, 2021, the 12 jurors overseeing the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin found him guilty on all three counts he faced; unintentional second-degree murder; third-degree murder; and second-degree manslaughter. His bail was immediately revoked, and he was remanded into the custody of the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office.
Not long after, Chauvin was then transferred to the Minnesota Department of Corrections, where he will await sentencing in June. While Minnesota sentencing guidelines suggest that Chauvin will likely face 12-15 years, Judge Peter Cahill could imprison him for as long as 40-75 years.
The guilty verdict was a sigh of relief for many in the nation. Protests were peaceful, in celebration of justice and accountability, which were the consequences of Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for eight minutes and forty-six seconds, causing the latter’s death.
Here now are several notable reactions to the verdict:
“History is here, this is monumental. We said, ‘God, we need justice, and we need it now,’ and He answered. My family is a family that will not back down from prayer. And I believe because of prayer, we got the verdict we wanted… What a day to be a Floyd, man.” – Terrence Floyd, one of George Floyd’s brothers.
“We don’t find pleasure in this. We don’t celebrate a man going to jail. We would rather George be alive… The war and the fight is not over.” – Rev. Al Sharpton.
“On behalf of all of Newark and our residents, we applaud the jury for its decision in the Derek Chauvin case and congratulate Minnesota’s prosecutors for their work in bringing it about. It sends a clear message that people who use the cover of the law to commit murder and violate people’s fundamental rights will be met with justice. Today, Black Lives Mattered, which means all of our humanity matters.” – Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka.
“Justice has prevailed. Now the work begins to healing, restoring and rebuilding our communities. This is a good first step, but the road to recovery will be long. Social justice is the fair treatment of all people at all times. Until this is achieved, we must always be ready and willing to fight for what’s right. Rest in power, George Floyd.” – East Orange Mayor Ted R. Green.
“On Tuesday, April 20, 2021, American justice blindly peaked through the veil of tragedy brought about the defenseless killing of George Floyd, and so many other Black people. On behalf of the City of Orange Township, I applaud the jury’s just guilty verdict rendered against ex-police officer (Derek) Chauvin. Technology and courageous citizens have helped deliver justice that is long overdue. I pray that the full weight of this verdict will serve to asphyxiate lawless behavior in the guise of justice. May our voices and our ongoing actions be equal to the task of achieving justice for all.” – Dwayne D. Warren, Esq. Mayor, City of Orange Township.
“The verdict is a positive step in right direction. ‘Black Lives Matter,’ we must still be vigilant and continue to highlight injustice. At the same time ‘we’ must Vote. Policies and laws must be changed by elected officials.” – Charles N. Hall, Local 108 President.
“Justice has prevailed. But we must not stop here. The conviction of Derek Chauvin is a step in the right direction towards ending structural racism in the United States. Let this verdict be a message that we are ready to begin holding police accountable and rebuilding our judicial system…” – Kevin Brown, 32BJ SEIU NJ Director and Vice-president.
“Justice has been served in Derek Chauvin’s trial for the murder of George Floyd. The three guilty verdicts cannot undo the injustice that was done a year ago, but it represents a positive change in our criminal justice system. It is time for our country to continue to heal, learn to respect and understand our differences, and grow stronger from them.” – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr.
“Today’s verdict that found Derek Chauvin guilty on all counts for the Murder of George P. Floyd, Jr. is applauded by all justice loving people. Chauvin’s conviction is an indication that when the evidence of murder is overwhelming, beyond a shadow of a doubt, a true jury of one’s peers can and will do the right thing.
“A potentially catastrophic political reaction in the streets has been averted, but there is much to be done to eliminate systemic racism and foster new and improved definitions of policing and community relations. The fear of unnecessary force for even minor interaction with police is many times traumatizing for people of color, and our children grow up amidst this trauma. The fear factor must be eliminated by redefining the purpose of policing and the role of police in our communities. As we figure out how to keep our communities peaceful, we must support legislation, programs and initiatives that prove that our lives matter. In order to move forward, the killings at the hands of police must cease.” – Essex County Commissioner President Wayne L. Richardson.
“This was the right verdict. But as a career prosecutor, I know how even a successful trial verdict can leave the families of victims with a sense of emptiness. A conviction cannot undo the trauma; it can never bring back a lost loved one. We simply hope it can bring some closure to those most in pain.
“A flawed system laid the groundwork for the death of George Floyd. It’s a system that too often fails to recruit police from the communities they guard, fails to train officers properly, fails to place just limits on the use of force against citizens, and fails to create mechanisms for the independent investigation of misconduct. It’s a system that badly needs reform – and across the country…” – Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal.
“Today’s verdict is justice served, but it is not justice for George Floyd…True justice would be a country where George Floyd is alive today, where Daunte Wright is alive today, where Adam Toledo is alive today. Where countless others whose names history will never know are alive today. True justice demands action, it demands change, it demands that we do everything in our power to prevent this from continuing to happen.” – U.S. Senator Cory A. Booker (D-NJ).
“The jury in the state trial of Derek Chauvin has fulfilled its civic duty and rendered a verdict convicting him on all counts. While the state’s prosecution was successful, I know that nothing can fill the void that the loved ones of George Floyd have felt since his death. The Justice Department has previously announced a federal civil rights investigation into the death of George Floyd. This investigation is ongoing.” – U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland.
“Today, we feel a sigh of relief. Still, it cannot take away the pain. A measure of justice isn’t the same as equal justice. This verdict brings us a step closer. And, the fact is, we still have work to do…” – Vice President Kamala D. Harris.
“Today, a jury in Minnesota found former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all counts in the murder of George Floyd last May.
“It was a murder in the full light of day, and it ripped the blinders off for the whole world to see the systemic racism the Vice President just referred to – the systemic racism that is a stain our nation’s soul; the knee on the neck of justice for Black Americans; the profound fear and trauma, the pain, the exhaustion that Black and brown Americans experience every single day.
“The murder of George Floyd launched a summer of protest we hadn’t seen since the Civil Rights era in the ‘60s – protests that unified people of every race and generation in peace and with purpose to say, ‘Enough. Enough. Enough of the senseless killings.’
“Today – today’s verdict is a step forward. I just spoke with the Governor of Minnesota, who thanked me for the close work with his team.
“And I also just spoke with George Floyd’s family again – a remarkable family of extraordinary courage. Nothing can ever bring their brother, their father back. But this can be a giant step forward in the march toward justice in America…
“…We must not turn away. We can’t turn away. We have a chance to begin to change the trajectory in this country. It’s my hope and prayer that we live up to the legacy.
“May God bless you. And may God bless the – George Floyd and his family… This can be a moment of significant change.” – U.S. President Joseph R. Biden.
