On the Guilty Verdict in the Chauvin Trial

The following is a statement from Equal Rights Advocates:

Equal Rights Advocates is relieved a guilty verdict has been delivered in the trial of Derek Chauvin, who has been convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in the 2020 killing of George Floyd.  

Our relief is not for the avoidance of unrest or protests. Because there is still much to protest. In the time that Derek Chauvin has been on trial, police officers across the country have killed more than three people every day over the span of 20 days.  We are thinking specifically of the 13-year old child Adam Toledo in Chicago, and the unarmed young man Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, who was running away from the police who killed him.

Police violence is endemic and must end. Black people and other people of color, as well as immigrants and low-income people, are ongoing targets of state violence more than white people – whether or not they are guilty of a crime. This racialized violence, baked into the fabric of our society, has to end in order for a more equitable and just future to be possible. 

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of George Floyd, the witnesses to his murder who bravely testified during this trial, and the people of the jury who delivered some modicum of justice to a community in pain. This verdict is not justice for George Floyd. But this three count guilty verdict brings a win on this day in his memory.