Following former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin’s conviction on all counts in the death of George Floyd, Democratic New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said the murder trial outcome “is not justice.”
Chauvin was convicted of second- and third-degree murder as well as second-degree manslaughter after Floyd died in police custody on May 25, 2020.
Police brutality charges are rare to begin with – and convictions are even more so. But the Democratic socialist has long called for defunding police and ending qualified immunity, a principle that often prevents officers from facing civil liability for certain conduct within the line of duty.
Despite prosecutors’ success at trial, Ocasio-Cortez noted that “a family had to lose a son, brother and father; that a teenage girl had to film and post a murder, that millions across the country had to organize and march just for George Floyd to be seen and valued is not justice.”
DEREK CHAUVIN VERDICT: GUILTY ON ALL CHARGES
“And this verdict is not a substitute for policy change,” she added.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman, another far-left Democrat from New York City who has been dubbed a new member of “the Squad” in Congress, also found the verdict insufficient.
“We’ve known Chauvin was guilty since the second we saw him murder George Floyd on film — but we also know of the racism inherent in our [jail] and policing systems,” he tweeted. “This verdict doesn’t change that racism, or the work ahead needed to transform those systems to serve us.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar, a fellow Squad member who represents a district in the state of Minnesota, also called on additional measures following the trial – ranging from legalizing recreational marijuana to allowing felons to vote and establishing an “independent agency” to investigate police brutality allegations.
Still, she welcomed the verdict.
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“This feels different for our community, justice feels new and long overdue,” she tweeted. “Rejoice, my beloved community. Grateful to @AGEllison, jurors, and everyone who made this possible.”
