Former Police Officer Derek Chauvin Found Guilty of the Murder of George Floyd, but the Fight for Justice for Victims of Police Violence Continues
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 20, 2021
CONTACT: Alia El-Assar |alia@communicationsshop.us
EL PASO, TEXAS – After 11 hours of deliberation by the jury, a verdict was reached in Minneapolis today on the trial of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd, finding Chauvin guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. Below is a statement from Fernando García, executive director of the Border Network for Human Rights (BNHR) on the verdict.
“Today, a jury found former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin guilty for the brutal murder of George Floyd nearly one year after his death. This verdict delivers a semblance of justice for many, including George Floyd’s family and loved ones, and the millions across the globe who bore witness to Floyd’s murder via video.
In the context of our long history of police impunity, particularly in relation to harm inflicted against Black people and people of color, we are encouraged by this guilty verdict holding former officer Chauvin accountable for his heinous crime in a court of law. However, today’s verdict cannot bring George Floyd back–or Daunte Wright, or Adam Toledo, or Breonna Taylor, or Erik Salas Sanchez, or Daniel Saenz, or Daniel Ramirez, or any of the 984 people who have been killed by the police over the past year in our country.
For the loved ones of the people we have lost at the hands of those who are charged to ‘protect and serve’ us, and for members of Black and Brown communities who are disproportionately the victims of rampant police violence and forced to constantly relive this collective trauma, a guilty verdict is not enough.
In order to achieve true justice and build safe communities, we must continue holding law enforcement and our government accountable, demanding transparency and oversight, and, most importantly, working to dismantle the systemic racism and bias permeating policing institutions–from local police to federal immigration enforcement departments.
The Border Network for Human Rights (BNHR) will continue to work with our allies in the Black community to demand transformative change to our policies and institutions and fight against the over-policing and militarization of our communities. Just as we did throughout the course of the pandemic, we will continue marching for justice, putting pressure on our elected officials, and holding our leaders accountable, including by bringing about accountability and oversight to the El Paso Police Department. We will not stop until the police stops killing us, and justice is truly served.”
The Border Network for Human Rights, founded in 1998, is one of the leading human rights advocacy and immigration reform organizations in the U.S. BNHR has over 7,000 members in West Texas and Southern New Mexico.
