(MINNEAPOLIS) – The Hennepin County District Court announced Tuesday that former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted by a jury for the murder of George Floyd. The verdict comes nearly a year after the horrific incident, and amid a growing national consensus calling for transparency and accountability in policing. The following is a statement from Damon Hewitt, acting president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law:
“This verdict is a victory for the Floyd family in its search for accountability and its effort to begin healing. It also comes as a welcome departure from decades of disappointing, abhorrent results from the justice system when it comes to the lives of Black Americans, who for so long have been implicitly told that their lives do not matter in the eyes of the law.
“At the same time, despite bringing a slight sense of justice, this verdict pertains to only one case. It does not solve the systemic problem of racially discriminatory policing and lack of police accountability.
“The killings of Daunte Wright and Adam Toledo, which happened during this trial, are prime examples of just how far our nation still has to go. And the failed prosecutions and decisions not to prosecute on prior cases of police killings at all, remain as a stain on this nation. This is why we must continue to push for passage and implementation of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act at the federal level, even as communities push for change at the local and state levels.”
