Photo Courtesy of House Democratic Caucus
“It’s now time for America to come together, elevate the principle of equal protection under the law and continue this country’s march toward a more perfect union,” Rep. Jeffries said.
By Michael V. Cusenza
Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin on Tuesday was convicted of all three charges he faced–second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter—in the May 2020 death of George Floyd.
Reactions to the historic decision poured into The Forum.
“In the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd, people of goodwill throughout America spoke up, stood up and showed up to demand justice. The jury has spoken and delivered a just verdict by convicting Derek Chauvin of murder,” U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-Queens and Brooklyn). “It’s now time for America to come together, elevate the principle of equal protection under the law and continue this country’s march toward a more perfect union.”
Jeffries expounded on his statement in a Wednesday appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
“We have to change the mindset of policing in this country from a warrior mentality that exists among some, because when you have a warrior mentality, that’s how someone has choked to death in front of the eyes of the world. We tend to view certain communities, communities of color, low-income communities of every race, immigrant communities as enemy combatants absent any dignity and humanity,” Jeffries said. “But when you have a guardian mentality, which is where we are trying to push policing in America, then you tend to view those communities as individuals who should be partnered with to lift up public safety for everyone. And there are a series of measures that we believe can help bring that about, but it’s the mindset change that will ultimately lead to transformation.”
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said, “Today’s verdict delivers a small measure of justice to the family of George Floyd, but nothing can ever erase the pain of losing a loved one. Our nation remains in a moment of moral reckoning and we must take bold and decisive action. Congress must pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to address the systemic and institutional racism that plagues our criminal justice system and continues to lead to the deaths of countless Black Americans.”
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Jr. also weighed in on the verdict.
“Although today’s decision is just and welcomed, there is no cause for celebration today. No verdict will reunite George Floyd’s children with their father or his siblings with their brother. There is no ruling that will soothe the anguish George’s family feels every day, knowing his final 9 minutes and 29 seconds were spent gasping for air beneath the knee of a police officer for the entire world to see,” Richards said. “On its own, today’s ruling should not be momentous—we’ve all watched Derek Chauvin brutally murder another human being on camera. But while this trial has ended, with justice finally been served for an unarmed Black man killed by law enforcement, let this day be just the start of our shared fight to rid our criminal justice complex of the systemic racism that has infected it for centuries.”
