Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are weighing in following the conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.
Chauvin was convicted on Tuesday on all three charges against him in the death of George Floyd in May 2020.
Calling the conviction the “right decision,” Bill Clinton wrote in a statement, “His tragic death and the evidence at the trial, made painfully clear that we must do much better in recruiting, training, and holding law enforcement accountable to the communities they serve. The failure to do so continues to plague America, as we have seen in recent days.”
The former president added that “the color of a person’s skin still determines far too often how they will be treated in nearly every aspect of American life.”
“While the verdict won’t bring George Floyd back, it can help us prevent more senseless deaths and hasten the day when we are all treated equally in matters of life, liberty, dignity, respect, and opportunity. If we all do our part, that will be George Floyd’s lasting legacy.”
The jury made the right decision in convicting Derek Chauvin for murdering George Floyd. My full statement: pic.twitter.com/Pt2aV8g4cT
— Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) April 20, 2021
Additionally, Hillary Clinton wrote in a tweet on Tuesday evening, “George Floyd’s family and community deserved for his killer to be held accountable. Today, they got that accountability. Always and forever, Black lives matter.”
George Floyd's family and community deserved for his killer to be held accountable.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) April 20, 2021
Today, they got that accountability.
Always and forever, Black lives matter.
On the second day of deliberations, the jurors reached a verdict in the trial.
Chauvin had pleaded not guilty to all three charges: second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree “depraved mind” murder, and second-degree manslaughter.
After only about 10 hours of deliberation, the jury found Derek Chauvin guilty of all charges in the killing of George Floyd.
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) April 21, 2021
Floyd's brother Philonise says this is only the beginning of the fight for justice.@jamieyuccas has been covering the trial since day one. pic.twitter.com/fv85zklGBz
President Joe Biden said the guilty verdict was a “a step forward.”
Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama also responded following Chauvin’s conviction, as IJR reported on.
“Today, a jury in Minneapolis did the right thing. For almost a year, George Floyd’s death under the knee of a police officer has reverberated around the world — inspiring murals and marches, sparking conversations in living rooms and new legislation. But a more basic question has always remained: would justice be done?” they wrote in a statement.
The Obamas added, “In this case, at least, we have our answer. But if we’re being honest with ourselves, we know that true justice is about much more than a single verdict in a single trial.”