World celebrates the verdict of George Floyd case: ‘Justice has been made today’
Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who knelt on George Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes last May, was convicted of second-degree murder in his politically explosive trial.
The jury also convicted Chauvin, 45, of third-degree murder and manslaughter. Under Minnesota law, he faces up to four decades in prison, although he may get less time under state sentencing guidelines. Chauvin will face sentencing in eight weeks.
President Joe Biden has said the conviction of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin in the killing of George Floyd can be a giant step forward for the nation in the fight against systemic racism. Biden spoke from the White House hours after the verdict alongside Vice President Kamala Harris, with the pair calling for Congress to act swiftly to address policing reform.
“It’s not enough,” Biden said of the verdict. “We can’t stop here.”
Biden spoke after telephoning Floyd’s family, telling them, “We’re all so relieved.” Before Tuesday’s guilty verdicts were read out, Biden said he was praying for “the right verdict” in the trial of Chauvin. Telephoning Floyd’s family later, he said of himself and Harris: “We’re all so relieved.”
Today, a jury in Minnesota found former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin guilty of murdering George Floyd.
The verdict is a step forward.
And while nothing can ever bring George Floyd back, this can be a giant step forward on the march towards justice in America.
— President Biden Archived (@POTUS46Archive) April 20, 2021
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson wrote on Twitter on Tuesday that he “was appalled by the death of George Floyd and welcome this verdict,” while the leader of the opposition Labour Party, Keir Starmer, simply wrote “justice.”
I was appalled by the death of George Floyd and welcome this verdict.
My thoughts tonight are with George Floyd’s family and friends.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) April 20, 2021
In Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau welcomed the verdict but said it “underlines that there’s an awful lot of work to do.”
As former Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted Tuesday afternoon of murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd, people waiting outside the courthouse and city erupted in emotion.
People elated by the verdict flooded the surrounding streets downtown upon hearing the news. Car horns blared, and people ran through traffic, waving banners.
Black Americans from Missouri to Florida to Minnesota cheered, marched, hugged, waved signs and sang jubilantly in the streets. But they also tempered those celebrations with the heavy knowledge that Chauvin’s conviction was just a first, tiny step on the long road to addressing centuries of racist policing in a nation founded on slavery.
