WASHINGTON — In response to the guilty verdict announced in the case against Derek Chauvin, Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee Board Chair and New York Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and DLCC President Jessica Post released the following statements:
“While I’m heartened by this verdict and believe it’s an important step towards accountability, we must remember that this verdict is not true justice. True justice would mean that George Floyd would have walked away from that encounter alive. It would mean that he would be able to watch his daughter grow up. If we had true justice in this country, the kind that lives up to our ideals, countless other Black men and women wouldn’t see the same fate as George Floyd. While we cannot change the past, we can change what happens next. We can decide that we can no longer tolerate a policing system and a justice system that only serves some and not all. We can commit to real reform, to real justice, and to a better system of policing that truly keeps our communities safe instead of tearing them apart. My thoughts are with the Floyd family and the mostly Black and Brown families across this country who have lost a loved one to police violence,” said New York Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins.
“George Floyd’s murder sparked a movement — and it engendered long term and long overdue changes all across this country. For so many, including George Floyd, that change came too late. I’m grateful to all of the activists and organizations who have worked for decades to move the needle on the issue of police brutality. Our collective voices for accountability and justice are more important now than ever. While this is one of the startlingly few cases in which an officer faced consequences, it’s not enough. We cannot accept living in a country where there are two systems of justice, two systems of policing, and where a routine arrest, a traffic stop, or sleeping in your own bed ends in a death sentence. We must continue fighting for a justice system that truly works for all Americans,” said DLCC President Jessica Post.
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