MD Reacts To Derek Chauvin Guilty Verdict

Baltimore MD

20 April, 2021

7:57 PM

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MARYLAND — Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis cop who knelt on George Floyd's neck for nine minutes, is guilty. Jurors in Minnesota found Chauvin guilty Tuesday on all counts — second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter. Floyd's caught-on-video death under Chauvin's knee prompted waves of protests last year, heated confrontations between demonstrators and police and nationwide reckoning on race, including a march that drew 8,000 people to the streets of Baltimore last June. "It was shocking to the conscience to every human being that watched that video, and I believe that justice has been appropriately served," Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said in a statement Tuesday night, echoing words he issued last May following the death of Floyd. "Our department will continue to support members of our community that want to exercise their first amendment rights and peacefully gather in reference to the verdict in this case." A demonstration in Baltimore was held the afternoon of the verdict. Organizers of social justice group Peoples Power Assembly said beforehand: "Doesn't matter what the verdict is, we are marching for all victims of police violence!" The group met in the 2000 block of North Charles Street at 4 p.m. Tuesday and was headed before 7 p.m. to the area of City Hall on Gay at Fayette streets. The city's mayor was among those calling for action in the aftermath of the verdict. "Regardless of this decision, more work remains to prove once and for all that Black lives matter in America," Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott said in a statement. "We must honor George's legacy and join together to build an inclusive system that truly works for everyone." Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan also agreed with the finding of the jury and called for change, though he recently vetoed a police reform bill ultimately overturned by the Maryland General Assembly. "The senseless murder of George Floyd served as yet another reminder that we still have a long way to go to live up to our nation's highest ideals," Hogan said in a statement Tuesday. "Justice has now been served, and we hope that this verdict will bring some measure of peace to the Floyd family and the community." The senseless murder of George Floyd served as yet another reminder that we still have a long way to go to live up to our nation's highest ideals.Justice has now been served, and we hope that this verdict will bring some measure of peace to the Floyd family and the community.— Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) April 20, 2021 Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who represents Maryland, echoed calls for action. "While today's verdict was just, we must think of the Black Americans who have never received justice," Van Hollen said in a statement. "We must move with urgency to confront and defeat systemic racism in all its forms, and Congress must act immediately to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act." See Also: Derek Chauvin Trial: Verdict Reached In Death Of George FloydCity, State Leaders Praise Baltimore's Reaction To Floyd's DeathBaltimore Protests: Police Call For Backup From State Controversial Maryland Former Medical Examiner Appears As Witness In Chauvin Trial Baltimore Protest: Thousands March Against Racist Policing Patch editor Rich Kirby contributed to this report.