Derek Chauvin verdict: Former Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted on Tuesday of murdering George Floyd, who died after the cop pushed his knee on his neck for several minutes in May last year. 45-year-old Chauvin was found guilty on all charges - second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter - and could face a potential 40-year jail sentence.
Kamala Harris, the first Black woman to serve as a vice president in the United States, said systemic racism was keeping this country away from "liberty and justice for all."
In the wake of George Floyd's death, worldwide protests began against racism and discriminative policing in the US, questioning the law enforcement's treatment of Black Americans in the country. Floyd had repeatedly said, "I can't breathe," during the encounter with Chauvin on May 25 last year. Bystanders had captured the encounter between Floyd, Chauvin and his accompanying officers, which went viral on social media.
"It is not just a Black America problem or a people of colour problem. it is a problem for every American," Harris spoke from the White House hours after the verdict. "It is holding our nation back from reaching our full potential."
"A measure of justice isn't the same as equal justice," Harris said. Tweeting about the same, Harris wrote that this verdict will bring the country a step closer to making equal justice under law a reality. However, she also added that this verdict will not heal the pain that has existed for generations. "It will not take away the pain felt by the Floyd family. That’s why we must recommit to fight for equal justice," she added
We are all part of George Floyd's legacy. And now our job is to honor it—to honor him: Kamala Harris after Derek Chauvin verdict in George Floyd case.
New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also took to Twitter after Derek Chauvin was pronounced guilty and wrote, "this verdict is not a substitute for policy change."
She added, "That a family had to lose a son, brother and father; that a teenage girl had to film and post a murder, that millions across the country had to organize and march just for George Floyd to be seen and valued is not justice."
Calling Floyd's death a murder in the full light of day, US President Joe Biden wrote that the incident ripped the blinders off for the whole world to see the systemic racism. "We can't stop here," Biden added in his tweets.
"'I can't breathe.' Those were George Floyd's last words," he further tweeted, adding, "We can't let those words die with him. We have to keep hearing those words. We must not turn away. We can't turn away."
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