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Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today issued the
following statement in response to the verdict in the murder
trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. A jury
convicted Chauvin today in the May 2020 killing of George Floyd.
“Today justice was served, and I hope this verdict brings some
measure of peace to the family and friends of George Floyd, and
allows them to begin recovering not just from Floyd’s tragic
death but also from the trauma of the trial. I am also hopeful
that this verdict will begin the healing our country needs.
“I would like to congratulate my colleague, Keith Ellison, on a
well-conducted prosecution. It should be noted that the
successful prosecution was obtained with testimony of fellow
officers within the Minneapolis Police Department who refused to
sign off on an illegal and unconscionable use of force. Let that
be a new standard.
“While George Floyd was not the first unarmed Black man to die
at the hands of police, his death galvanized Americans in a
historic way. The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic forced
millions of people to remain at home with little else to
distract from the horror of the video depicting George Floyd’s
cries for his mother as he struggled to breathe. As a result,
streets throughout the country filled with people demanding
change to the status quo.
“Today’s verdict must not mark an end to a struggle toward
eliminating the systemic problems that have tolerated police
misconduct. It would be a mistake to take the ‘bad-apple’
approach to evaluating the impact of this case. I, for my part,
am committed to utilizing the tools and resources of my office
toward confronting the systemic problems that have tolerated
unconstitutional policing in departments throughout the country.
I will also continue to partner with community leaders,
advocates and law enforcement agencies to enact policies that
facilitate preventing future tragedies.”
[Office of Illinois Attorney General]
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