* Stand by for react…
* Sen. Robert Peters…
State Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago) released the following statement after a Minnesota jury found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of the 2020 murder of George Floyd:
“Today, a jury decided that Derek Chauvin will be locked up and will face justice for murdering George Floyd, but we are still a long way from delivering George and his family the justice they truly deserve.
“True justice would be creating a society where police don’t murder unarmed Black people.
“True justice would be ensuring people like George Floyd receive the support they need.
“True justice would be improving the lives of people like George Floyd by investing in and enriching their communities.
“We must recognize that real police accountability goes much beyond throwing officers in prison after they commit a murder.
“Until we can achieve a society where everyone is given the opportunity to fulfil their best lives, we must continue to fight for real safety and justice for all. Public safety must belong to us, the people.”
* Deputy Governor Mitchell…
* US Rep Newman…
* Rep. Buckner…
* Gov. Pritzker…
“No courtroom can ever replace a life, but it can and should deliver justice. Today, the jury in Derek Chauvin’s murder trial honored that truth.
“My heart goes out to the family of George Floyd, who deserve to have him alive today. I’m also thinking of all our Black communities and other communities of color who see their children or their parents or themselves in George Floyd, and Daunte Wright, and Adam Toledo, and Breonna Taylor, and Laquan McDonald.
“This verdict marks an important milestone on the journey to justice, but the fullest measure of progress is how we deliver accountability, safety and meaningful change.
“In Illinois, we are addressing law enforcement reform, criminal justice reform, economic opportunity, educational equity and health care.
“We can and must make progress every day until we have a state and a nation and a justice system that truly serve everyone. And as long as there’s more work to be done, that’s what we’ll do.”
* Sen. Van Pelt…
* House Speaker Chris Welch…
Today, after 11 months, we have finally received a verdict that suggests we may have some common sense of justice. While it’s important to have faith in the future of our own humanity, it should not have taken George Floyd losing his life, Gianna Floyd losing her father, for our hearts and minds to change. Nonetheless, we are here, and Derek Chauvin has been found guilty of murder by a jury of his peers. There’s nothing to celebrate, though, as a system that allows this to happen still prevails. This year our legislature passed historic police reform, and we will continue to build on that. Simply put, our work here continues and we’re going to make sure our policies in Illinois value Black lives.
* Mayor Lori Lightfoot..
In May of 2020, I saw the harrowing footage of George Floyd’s life being extinguished beneath Derek Chauvin’s knee, and I cried. I said then and I say now, being Black in America cannot be a death sentence. I join my fellow Chicagoans, Americans, and human beings across the world as justice is being served in Minneapolis today. A jury of his peers listened to the evidence presented by both sides and came to the only reasonable verdict based on the overwhelming evidence presented by the Prosecution. I want to commend the jury, the prosecution and the people of Minnesota for their invaluable work to hold Mr. Chauvin accountable for his crimes. George Floyd’s death sparked a pivotal movement for Americans fighting to end systematic racism. Today marks a moment where future generations can look back and see that we as a nation came together and rightfully demanded justice and accountability. And justice was served. Let us pray that the Lord continues to watch over George Floyd’s family and loved ones. Pray for peace as we continue on our journey towards a more just and equitable world.
* SEIU Local 1 president Tom Balanoff…
“We are heartened to see the jury in the Derek Chauvin trial deliver a guilty verdict, but there is still more work to be done.
“Convicting Jason Van Dyke didn’t prevent an officer from killing Adam Toledo, and convicting Derek Chauvin today is bare-minimum accountability. Taking one bad officer off the streets still leaves in place a system that brutalizes Black and Brown people with impunity. George Floyd should still be alive today.
“SEIU Local 1 members across the Midwest will continue to fight to reimagine public safety and break down an unfair justice system that provides anything but. In this moment, we hope this verdict brings some measure of comfort to George Floyd’s loved ones.”
* US Rep. Bobby Rush…
“Today’s verdict — guilty on all three counts — is an important first acknowledgment of illegal police conduct. It holds one unlawful policeman accountable for murder. However, police accountability is not synonymous with justice.
“We still have a long way to go to ensure that every American has a guaranteed right to equal justice under the law — if America is indeed a nation built on equal justice under the law.
“Bottom feeding to populate our police forces in this nation must come to a screeching halt. Our police forces must be highly professional, highly educated, highly trained, and highly paid personnel who adhere to the highest standards of public safety and public protection.”
* Anti-Defamation League…
“The jury’s decision to hold Derek Chauvin accountable for the murder of George Floyd is a critically necessary first step in securing #JusticeforGeorgeFloyd.
And yet, no guilty verdict can change the fact that George Floyd — and Breonna Taylor, Daunte Wright, Adam Toledo, and too many others — should be alive today. Our country’s policing and criminal legal systems have targeted and devalued Black, brown, and Indigenous lives for centuries. The issue is much bigger than one traffic stop, one no-knock raid, one police shooting, one department, or one city. It is long past time for our country to tackle systemic racism, reimagine what public safety looks like, and create transformational change to ensure justice and fair treatment for all people. Black Lives Matter, and our society’s laws, practices, and institutions must reflect that.”
* Sen. Mike Simmons (D-Chicago)…
“With today’s verdict, Derek Chauvin has been held accountable for the murder of George Floyd. At a basic minimum, this is what we need, and I am relieved to see the verdict. But we must ask ourselves now what justice will look like for George Floyd.
“Justice is broad and systemic, and this verdict tells us that the system must change from the ground up. George Floyd was executed on camera in a matter of minutes. His daughter will never see him again. Derek Chauvin has had many months and more of due process, all while communities across the country anxiously awaited this decision, not at all confident that Chauvin would face consequences even in light of the fact that his crime was caught on film.
“That this was in doubt, that we feel relieved that there will be consequences, speaks to how much the system needs changing. Chauvin is one officer whose misconduct will be punished. This must cease to be the exception, or more Black lives will be routinely taken from us.”
* AG Kwame Raoul…
“Today justice was served, and I hope this verdict brings some measure of peace to the family and friends of George Floyd, and allows them to begin recovering not just from Floyd’s tragic death but also from the trauma of the trial. I am also hopeful that this verdict will begin the healing our country needs.
“I would like to congratulate my colleague, Keith Ellison, on a well-conducted prosecution. It should be noted that the successful prosecution was obtained with testimony of fellow officers within the Minneapolis Police Department who refused to sign off on an illegal and unconscionable use of force. Let that be a new standard.
“While George Floyd was not the first unarmed Black man to die at the hands of police, his death galvanized Americans in a historic way. The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic forced millions of people to remain at home with little else to distract from the horror of the video depicting George Floyd’s cries for his mother as he struggled to breathe. As a result, streets throughout the country filled with people demanding change to the status quo.
“Today’s verdict must not mark an end to a struggle toward eliminating the systemic problems that have tolerated police misconduct. It would be a mistake to take the ‘bad-apple’ approach to evaluating the impact of this case. I, for my part, am committed to utilizing the tools and resources of my office toward confronting the systemic problems that have tolerated unconstitutional policing in departments throughout the country. I will also continue to partner with community leaders, advocates and law enforcement agencies to enact policies that facilitate preventing future tragedies.”
* House Republican Leader Jim Durkin…
“While today’s verdict won’t bring back the life of George Floyd, it delivers a powerful statement that no one is above the law. Derek Chauvin is now a convicted murderer, and bad actors like him have no place in law enforcement.”
* US Rep. Casten…
“For Americans who watched for the 9 minutes and 29 seconds as George Floyd was murdered, this trial wasn’t so much a question of guilt as it was a test of the American justice system. Today, our justice system prevailed, but in so many instances, it continues to fail Black and brown Americans.
“While I hope that today’s verdict paves the way for increased accountability for police brutality, it is also my hope that it doesn’t dissuade us from reckoning with the reality facing Black and Brown Americans or the long way we have left to go. Massive disparities in policing and incarceration, health care, housing, access to clean air and drinking water, and voting rights continue today and every day.
“In the wise words of John Lewis, ‘A democracy cannot thrive where power remains unchecked and justice is reserved for a select few. Ignoring these cries and failing to respond to this movement is simply not an option — for peace cannot exist where justice is not served.’”
* Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle…
I want to first extend my condolences to the family of George Floyd who have had to relive painful memories during the trial.
While the guilty verdict does not bring George Floyd back, today reminds the Black and Brown people of America that sometimes, with monumental effort on behalf of the people, a verdict reflecting the true meaning of justice can be returned.
The fact that for many, today’s guilty verdict was in question, tells us we still have a long way to go in bringing accountability to policing.
Still, today’s verdict is a step in the necessary direction of reforming the systems that have entrenched racism into the police departments of this country: the codes of silence, the inadequate disciplinary systems, the bloated budgets, and the fearmongering rhetoric whenever police departments come under scrutiny.
I envision a society where policing has a place alongside a variety of other services in responding to urgent situations and hope that the bad acts of a few officers do not define the many other officers who protect and serve with honor.
But, even in the best of situations, long term improvements in public safety will not be brought about by police departments.
To prevent crime, we must address the inequities in our society; we must continue to increase our investments in the communities most affected by both crime and policing; and we must repair the harm of decades of redlining, restrictive covenants, mass incarceration, and disinvestment.
* SEIU Healthcare Illinois President Greg Kelley…
“As a union of mothers and fathers, of hard-working women and men who give their all to protect and provide for their children, we are now breathing a sigh of relief that the jurors in the Derek Chauvin trial have delivered the most just verdict within their power.
“But we are all too aware that the verdict will not bring George Floyd back and will not protect more of our children from the same fate.
“It’s no surprise that it was a multi-racial jury that delivered this verdict—it took a multi-racial coalition to ensure that a trial was even held. And it will take an even larger multi-racial coalition powered by anger, grief and ultimately our collective love for our children to bring about the deep systemic change needed to prevent the future repetition of the all-too-familiar pattern of murder followed by denial and injustice.
“Today is a day for breathing a little more deeply and feeling the full weight of this moment—deep grief only partly relieved by this rare just verdict.
“And in the days to follow, we will again add our voices and our efforts to the growing coalition working to rethink the role of police and to reimagine public safety in this country.
“Together we have the power to bring about a world where all of us have what we need to thrive, no exceptions. Our members have long been committed to dismantling structural racism and today we recommit to doing so in the memory of George Floyd.”
* Senate GOP Leader McConchie…
“Nearly a year ago, the world watched in horror as George Floyd begged for air while being murdered by Derek Chauvin,” said Illinois Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods). “Today, we watched a jury of Chauvin’s peers declare him guilty on all counts. Nothing will return George Floyd to his family, but today’s verdict is justice under our judicial system.
“George Floyd’s life and death will forever affect the trajectory of race discussions in the United States. His trial ignited strong emotions of pain and mistrust throughout the country. I pray that the public’s reaction here in Illinois is one that remembers George Floyd’s life and death by pursuing peaceful progress for all those who are hurting in America.”
* Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart…
His name was George Perry Floyd, Jr., and he was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer on May 25, 2020.
A jury has returned its verdict and confirmed what we have all known about those nine horrifying minutes. Through this verdict, our legal system has kept this case on the road toward justice. The sentence in this case will further reveal whether real reform is within reach.
Eleven months ago, our nation and our legal system started a journey to this historic verdict. We have grieved, marched, listened, learned, shouted, cried, voted, and waited. We have waited for this day not because we were unsure of the truth, but because we were unsure of a system that for too long has ignored its own structural flaws and refused to hold accountable those who have caused the deaths of black and brown Americans.
As criminal justice reform surged forward, as new groups and younger people joined the political process, and as our communities reverberated with intense debate and calls to action, we may have felt a renewed sense of hope about our ability to effect change.
Sadly, the recent deaths of Adam Toledo and Daunte Wright have shown us that there is so much more work to do – more accountability, more investment in communities, more listening. This verdict does not solve all of our system’s problems, nor does it change our nation’s history, but it gives us hope.
The jury listened to the evidence, and its verdict speaks the truth that this was murder. It is time for us to carry that truth with us, in honor of Mr. Floyd, as we go forward in this work toward justice for all.
* US Sen. Durbin…
“The image of Derek Chauvin staring straight into the camera as George Floyd died under his knee haunts me to this day. The injustice of his killing is undeniable. And so is the fact that systemic racism continues to plague America.
“The verdict of this jury gives me hope that we can strive for a system of justice in our nation that is applied equally to all.
“As Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I have the forum and the means to help move our nation nearer to that goal. To that end, the Committee will hold a hearing next month on police reform.
“I know today’s ruling provides only a small measure of comfort to the Floyd family. His loss will be forever felt. We will honor George Floyd’s memory by continuing the fight for racial justice.”
* Senate President Don Harmon…
George Floyd’s murder reignited the fight for justice across this country in the never-ending hope that someday justice might be found.
This verdict will not undo the tragedy and suffering.
But it should serve as a historic marker in our ongoing work to build a just and equal society.
* U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth…
“Last year, the world watched in horror as Derek Chauvin put his knee on George Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes as he cried ‘I can’t breathe’ and called out for his mother while the life drained from his body. George Floyd was murdered at the hands of a police officer who betrayed his oath to protect and serve.
“While today’s ruling won’t bring George Floyd back, it brings his family—and the entire community—closer to some semblance of justice, sends a message that our nation cannot ignore police violence and reminds us all that accountability is still possible.
“Though today’s verdict is a just result, it is only a beginning. Our work is not complete. In order to make justice the norm rather than the exception and truly bring us closer to achieving equal protection under the law for everyone, Congress must pass the comprehensive George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to hold police accountable, change the culture of law enforcement and begin to rebuild trust between law enforcement and our communities.”
* Lt. Gov. Stratton…
This verdict is our Selma moment. In Selma, men and women marched to demand that Black people be seen and treated with the same respect and dignity as others, that our humanity be recognized in this country. Now, in Minneapolis, a diverse jury of men and women with various lived experiences have handed down a guilty verdict that tells this nation, and the world, that the humanity of Black people matters. Finally, this is what accountability looks like. But make no mistake, George Floyd should be alive today and the system still needs to change.
As many cheer this guilty verdict, this act of justice for George Floyd, let us not forget others for whom no justice or police accountability was found: Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, Tamir Rice, and so many others. We will still speak their names along with George Floyd as we work to bridge our differences, fix our problems, and search for a more perfect union in this country.
God bless the Floyd family, including his daughter, Gianna, who will grow up without her father. May we spend our days working to ensure that no other person or family will have to go through this again.
* Rep. Justin Slaughter…
Today we’re reminded of the importance of the ongoing discussions surrounding police reform in this country, and here in Illinois. While justice prevailed today, we must not forget the systemic disparities that have plagued our communities of color for decades. When our General Assembly passed the historic police reform package in January, we made a commitment to form a task force that would continue these conversations deliberately and inclusively. The goal of the Task Force on Constitutional Rights and Remedies is to produce a report that clearly outlines how we better hold police accountable, and allow all stakeholders to operate from the same set of facts. We remain committed to moving these discussions forward, not only with the legislature but with communities across the state.
* IEA President Kathi Griffin…
“Everyone wants to be safe in their community – no matter where they live, no matter the color of their skin. The jury’s verdict today helps remind us that no one should be above the law, even if they are the law. Derek Chauvin was hired to serve and protect his community. Instead, he took the life of George Floyd over the alleged passing of a fake $20 bill, in broad daylight, on a Minneapolis street, ignoring onlookers who were warning Chauvin he was killing Floyd.
As Chauvin’s co-workers and supervisors testified at the trial, he violated the department’s Use of Force policies. Their testimony indicated they believed Chauvin’s actions showed he lacked a moral compass.
There has been a long list of crimes committed against Black and Brown people by police over the years. Now, more are being caught on camera. As a result, justice is more likely to be served.
The Illinois Education Association, wherein part of our mission is “to effect excellence and equity in public education” is asking people to ask their Senators to support the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which calls for common sense police reforms, including:
• Requiring the use of dashboard and body cameras;
• Mandatory de-escalation training;
• The end of racial and religious profiling;
• The end of no-knock warrants;
• And, the prohibition of potentially fatal measures that block blood flow to the brain (like that which killed George Floyd).
It is our responsibility to look out for the safety of our students — all our students. And, we believe changes such as these will help.”
* Comptroller Mendoza…
I want to commend and thank the prosecutors and the jury for delivering justice with today’s guilty verdict. To all who gave their testimony, including the individuals who taped the last fateful 8 minutes and 46 seconds of George Floyd’s life and the police officers who had the courage to testify against another policeman, thank you. Today, we can be thankful that justice was served, but we must recognize this is just the beginning as we strive for a fairer justice system that treats everyone equally.
* Sen. Jacqueline Collins (D-Chicago)…
“Today’s verdict is a consequence, an action to hold one police officer accountable. We can be thankful for the dedication and bravery of those who brought the truth of this incident to light and the decency and courage of a diverse jury. Yet, I hesitate to call today’s verdict justice.
“True justice would have been for George Floyd to walk away from his encounter with Derek Chauvin with his life. I am hopeful that this is the beginning of the broader change we must make for a criminal justice system that actually delivers justice, and a police presence that truly serves and protects all Americans.”
* HBC…
* ILGOP with impeccable timing…
* US Rep. Bill Foster…
“I applaud the jury for serving justice and providing accountability for the murder of George Floyd. This is an essential first step in the right direction, but we must remember that one verdict does not erase the generations of pain and trauma caused by a system of policing that’s been broken by centuries of systemic racism and that enables and perpetuates the terrorization of people of color.
“Americans of all backgrounds are demanding action to increase transparency in law enforcement and hold abusive police officers accountable for their actions. I’m proud to continue to stand with those calling for an end to racial injustice and systemic racial discrimination – that’s why I cosponsored and voted for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and why I will continue to urge the Senate to pass it.
“Justice and accountability should be the norm in America, not the exception.”
* Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx…
“Justice would be George Floyd being alive and present in the lives of those who loved him.
“Accountability is what was served to Derek Chauvin.
“As we waited with bated breath on behalf of a man who cried out that he couldn’t breathe, today is a small measure toward healing. His murder has forced us as a nation to reckon with its racist legacy, that permeates all institutions — particularly the criminal justice system.
“May this moment be the inflection point to demanding and delivering justice and accountability to all of our communities.
“May we actualize in truth and policy that Black Lives Matter.”
