WCVB-TV
BOSTON —Elected officials in Massachusetts are reacting to the news that former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin has been convicted of murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd.
The explosive case that triggered worldwide protests, violence and a furious reexamination of racism and policing in the United States.
The jury deliberated about 10 hours over two days in a city on edge against another outbreak of unrest.
Floyd died last May after Chauvin, a white officer, pinned his knee on or close to the 46-year-old Black man’s neck for about 9 1/2 minutes.
“As the first Black mayor and the first woman mayor of the city of Boston, I continue to pray for the family of George Floyd,” Acting Boston Mayor Kim Janey said in the aftermath of Tuesday’s verdict. “I know the importance of the African proverb, ‘When you pray, move your feet.’ Our work here in the city of Boston must continue.
“I commend the jury and the prosecutors in this case. George Floyd’s name now represents the urgency of racial reckoning and police reform across our country. While many of us breathe a sigh of relief, George Floyd and countless others are still dead. The conditions that led to so many senseless killings still exist.
“While I am truly grateful for a guilty verdict, I know that our work in our city and every other city across the country to advance racial justice continues.”
“Nothing can reverse the pain, suffering and agony of George Floyd’s family and friends, but today’s decision does make clear that Officer Chauvin was not above the law,” Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker tweeted along with his full statement on the verdict.
“George Floyd should still be alive – and we must keep fighting to dismantle systemic racism and fundamentally transform our justice system,” tweeted U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the senior senator from Massachusetts.
“George Floyd’s life mattered,” tweeted U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, the junior senator from Massachusetts. “Today’s verdict delivers accountability, but it does not bring him back. Our country must atone for the shameful, racist policies that have denied and stripped Black Americans of their rights for generations.
“George Floyd deserved to live his life fully. His children deserved to have him grow old with them. His community deserved to have him continue his life of service and mentorship.
“We must do more to hold law enforcement accountable. Abolish qualified immunity. Demilitarize the police. Ban facial recognition surveillance. And so much more. Today is only one step in the long march to true justice for Black and Brown Americans.”
“Despite today’s guilty verdict, this system can never deliver true justice for George Floyd and his family. True justice would be George Floyd, alive today, at home with his fiancé, children and siblings,” U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, representative of the 7th congressional district of Massachusetts and the first Black woman elected to Congress from the Bay State, said in a statement.
“The truth is that we never expected justice from this trial. We demanded accountability. Today, a jury delivered accountability and Chauvin will face consequences for his actions.
“To be clear, the legal system in America remains deeply unjust. No one should die the way George Floyd did. A person’s murder should not have to garner global attention to result in accountability.
“We can’t bring George Floyd back, but we can, and we must, legislate to deliver the critical resources our communities need to be freed from the endless loop of trauma we are experiencing daily.
“Our communities have been profiled. We have been surveilled. We have been brutalized. We have been murdered. And now we need precise, intentional policies to stop the cycle of trauma and death.
“I will continue my work to end qualified immunity, the fundamentally unjust legal doctrine that has allowed so many who commit egregious acts of state-sanctioned violence to evade accountability. I will also continue legislating to dismantle the systems that create the conditions for police brutality and, instead, secure resources for the trauma-informed, community-based solutions our people demand, deserve and require.”
“Centuries of institutionalized oppression will not be undone without sustained action, and I remain undeterred. I am holding the Floyd family and city of Minneapolis close tonight.”
Pressley also tweeted: “Black men, I love you, and you deserve to grow old.”
“Our quest for justice isn’t over. We don’t just want guilty verdicts. We want young girls like Gianna Floyd to have their fathers. Black lives matter,” tweeted U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark, of the 5th congressional district of Massachusetts.
“The officer who murdered George Floyd was held accountable. But accountability won’t bring back Mr. Floyd or return him home to his precious family,” tweeted U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, of the 2nd congressional district of Massachusetts. “Our fight for justice demands systematic and fundamental change — on behalf of Mr. Floyd and countless others lost to police violence.”This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
“I am grateful that the legal process has followed its course and that a jury has determined that Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is guilty of the murder of George Floyd,” U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, of the 8th congressional district of Massachusetts, said in a statement. “This moment was a test of our legal system and for our county. Since the brutal killing of George Floyd, we have seen people across America demand real change to address the systemic racism that plagues our country. I implore the Senate to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act so we can ban dangerous chokeholds and ensure bad actors are held accountable.”
“As a former DA who worked with victims of violent crime for decades, I realize that this verdict won’t bring ‘closure’ to George Floyd’s family. I do trust however that it will bring a sense of ‘justice’ to his family and to all of us who value our basic civil rights and rule of law,” tweeted U.S. Rep. Bill Keating, of the 9th congressional district of Massachusetts.
True justice would look like George Floyd still here with us today, but this verdict is proof that police officers are not above the law, and that Black lives matter,” U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, of the 6th congressional district of Massachusetts, tweeted along with a longer statement.
“Today’s verdict means that the officer who killed George Floyd will face justice for his horrific actions, but it doesn’t return George to his family. In his name — in his children’s names — we must continue pushing for a system that finally recognizes that Black lives matter,” tweeted U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan, of the 3rd congressional district of Massachusetts.
“This verdict is the starting point for progress. We need the Senate to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act — a necessary step for transparency and accountability in our criminal justice system,” U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss, of the 4th congressional district of Massachusetts, tweeted along with a statement from former President Barack Obama.
“Today, the jury made the right call in the name of accountability,” tweeted Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey. “The officer who murdered George Floyd and showed reckless disregard for the law has been convicted for his crimes. But accountability in this case does not bring George Floyd back.
“I also want to commend my friend (Keith Ellison) and the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office. I know he and his team prosecuted Derek Chauvin to the fullest extent of the law. I know he will never stop fighting for justice and accountability.
“Let’s honor George Floyd’s memory by waking up tomorrow committed to coming together— state and local officials, community leaders and law enforcement — to address police reform, racial injustice and systemic inequalities.
“Let’s remember to incorporate healing on our journey to justice.”This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
“Convicting Derek Chauvin on all charges was the right thing to do. But let’s be clear that justice would be George Floyd being alive today with his fiancee and family,” Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell, the first Black woman to serve as city council president, said in a statement. “While I hope this verdict brings some peace to his family, it is also a shameful reality that it took a Black man being slowly choked to death on camera for over nine minutes to convict a police officer of murder.
“This is often not the result for many Black and brown families. Many are left wondering what happened to their loved ones when the cameras weren’t running. My family never got a final answer about what happened to my twin brother, Andre, who died in a prison hospital while awaiting trial.
“The work to transform our approach to public safety, to eradicate systemic racism, and to ensure all have equitable access to justice does not end with the Derek Chauvin verdict. This work continues until no family ever experiences what the Floyd family, and countless others, have. This is precisely why I’m running for mayor of Boston: to break cycles of trauma, criminalization, and inequity and to ensure all our systems are transparent, accountable, and just.”
“The verdict reached in the Derek Chauvin trial has brought relief to many of us, and a glimpse of hope for more accountability and, ultimately, justice,” Massachusetts State Senate President Karen Spilka said in a statement. “This evening, I am thinking of George Floyd, the many friends and family who loved him, and the pain of their irreparable loss. I am also deeply grateful for the courage of the witnesses who testified against Chauvin, as well as the countless individuals who persisted in protesting for accountability over the past year.
“Last year, we began the long process of answering calls for change by passing nation-leading legislation to improve equity, transparency, and accountability in policing in Massachusetts. I am proud of this accomplishment, but I am determined to do more. I will continue to call on the Massachusetts State Senate to be intentional in our policymaking, and view all legislation through the lens of racial justice in order to break down the systemic barriers that have unfairly burdened generations of Black and brown people. As Senate President, I am personally committed to the hard work that will be required of all of us to make our Commonwealth a more equitable and just place.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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