Just hours ago, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murdering George Floyd.

Nothing will bring George Floyd back to his family or his community. And there should be nothing to celebrate in a jury doing its job in finding Derek Chauvin guilty of the crime the whole world saw him commit.

Nonetheless, in a country where police are rarely held criminally liable for murdering people — especially Black and brown people — this is an important moment.

Refusing to tolerate the police killing of yet another Black person, Black communities across the country responded to the murder of George Floyd with righteous anger and insistent demands for justice and love, forcing a national reckoning on racism and police violence.

Holding abusive police accountable, including through criminal prosecution, is necessary but not close to sufficient — not when it comes to police violence, and certainly not when it comes to redressing systemic racism.

What all of us owe to George Floyd and his family, to Daunte Wright, Breonna Taylor, and their families, and to far too many others is a commitment to continue relentlessly the fight for racial justice.

For justice,

- Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen
 
 
Public Citizen | 1600 20th Street NW | Washington DC 20009 | Unsubscribe