Statement on the Conviction of Derek Chauvin
On Tuesday evening, a Minnesota jury found former police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all counts for the murder of George Floyd. This verdict should never have been in doubt, given the damning video evidence and testimony offered by bystanders to the gruesome act perpetrated by a public official. The trial and senseless crime should never have happened. George Floyd should be at home with his family and loved ones.
While this historic verdict is gratifying and a notable flagstone on the road to justice, we must not forget all the other Black men and women, including Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, and Breonna Taylor, who have lost their lives to police brutality and unchecked white supremacy.
As deaths of Black Americans at the hands of police mount at an astonishing rate, there is still much work to be done to address and remedy the root causes of police brutality. We oppose systemic racism and oppression, whether it be in the guise of xenophobic immigration policy or the over-policing and under-resourcing of Black communities. We therefore join the urgent calls for police reform and will raise our voices alongside our colleagues in demanding true and lasting change. We will not stay silent in the face of injustice.
In solidarity.
