MADISON, Wis. — Local leaders who saw protesters take to their streets last summer after the killing of George Floyd are reacting to the officer responsible being convicted of murder.
Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all three charges against him, including second- and third-degree murder, after the jury deliberated for less than a day.
“Justice would be George Floyd home with his family and friends,” Madison mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway tweeted Tuesday afternoon. “But my hope is that this unanimous verdict will result in some small measure of healing as we work to bring change to policing across the nation and here in Madison.”
Dane County executive Joe Parisi also released a statement following the jury’s decision, saying in part, “George Floyd’s life mattered.”
“While no verdict can restore that life, the conviction of Derek Chauvin is an important step in the pursuit of justice. We can only hope and pray that this verdict signals the beginning of a reckoning in our nation that is way past due,” Parisi said. “There is still much work to be done, and our nation must acknowledge this in thought, voice and deed until all Black lives are treated with the same dignity, respect and fairness as others.”
Other leaders in Dane County and Madison, including new police chief Shon Barnes, also said “justice has prevailed.”
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