Now a nation that was holding its breath for justice can exhale.
In one of the most significant racial justice cases in U.S. history, a white Minneapolis police officer has been convicted of murdering an unarmed, handcuffed Black man.
A diverse 12-member jury of Minnesotans found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of second- and third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter on Tuesday. And the image of Chauvin driving his knee into the neck of George Floyd for 9 minutes and 29 seconds is forever seared into the American and global psyche.
Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill presided over a well-run trial, fairly allowing both the defense and prosecution to mount vigorous cases – all livestreamed for a global audience. In this milestone, racially charged case, justice was truly served.
Floyd’s death had significance far beyond the outcome of his killer’s trial. It was senseless and criminal, but it was not in vain. The May 2020 murder on a Minneapolis street sparked multiracial protests around the world, focusing new attention on decades of unfair treatment of Blacks and other people of color.