Barack Obama commended the jury that found former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin culpable on all charges in the murder of George Floyd but noted that additional work remains.
On Tuesday (April 20), the former president issued a statement in which he expressed his feelings about the verdict. “Today, a jury made the correct decision,” he wrote. “George Floyd’s death under the knee of a police officer has reverberated around the world for nearly a year, inspiring murals and marches, sparking conversations in living rooms and new legislation. But a more fundamental question has always remained: will justice be served? At least, in this case, we have an answer. But, if we are honest with ourselves, we know that true justice entails far more than a single verdict in a single trial.”
“True justice necessitates accepting the fact that Black Americans are treated differently daily. It necessitates acknowledging that millions of our friends, family, and fellow citizens live in fear that their next encounter with law enforcement will be their last,” he added. “And it necessitates us doing the sometimes thankless, often difficult, but always necessary work of transforming the America we know into the America we believe in.”
“While today’s verdict was a necessary step on the road to progress,” Obama said, “it was far from a sufficient once.” “We are unable to sleep.”
Chauvin was convicted on three counts on Tuesday (April 20), including second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. The 12-person jurors deliberated for ten hours before reaching a decision.
Chauvin was immediately taken away in handcuffs after the verdict was read. His bond has been revoked, and he will remain in custody until his eight-week sentencing. RESULTSANDNOHYPE and MUZIQUE Magazine are monitoring this story in real time.
Following three weeks of testimony, a jury in Minneapolis, Minnesota, reported Derek Chauvin liable of all charges in the murder of George Floyd on Tuesday (April 20).
After approximately a day of deliberation, the jury — comprised of six white people, four black people, and two multiracial people — announced the verdict. The former officer has been found guilty of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.
Following a few delays, including one caused by the settlement reached between Floyd’s family and the City of Minneapolis, the jury was handpicked. The former cop’s murder trial began in late March.
Prosecutors produced evidence and called 38 witnesses to testify in the weeks that followed, along with the young woman who recorded Floyd’s tragic arrest. They contended that Floyd died of asphyxia (lack of oxygen) after the former officer placed his knee on Floyd’s neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds, choosing to ignore his cries for help and the demands of bystanders to release him.
On the other hand, Chauvin and his defense team called seven witnesses, including medical experts, to establish that Floyd died as a result of a pre-existing heart condition, adrenaline, and ingestion of a fentanyl and methamphetamine mixture. They introduced that his exposure to carbon monoxide could have been a factor as well.
Floyd was arrested outside a Cup Foods convenience store in May 2020 for purportedly purchasing cigarettes with a counterfeit bill. His experience with Chauvin and responding officers culminated in his heinous assault and murder, which were both managed to capture in now-viral videos of his death. The officer’s killing sparked worldwide protests and calls for Chauvin’s prosecution.
Following today’s (April 20) verdict, Thomas Lane, J. Kueng, and Tou Thao, the other officers present during Floyd’s shooting, will appear before a judge as co-defendants in their August joint trial. They are being charged with assisting and abetting.
Jhené Aiko celebrated the 4/20 holiday by releasing a brand spanking new video that is eerily appropriate for the occasion. Aiko shares a That 70’s Show-inspired video for her track “Tryna Smoke” from her Chilombo album, highlighting guest appearances from Big Sean and her siblings. She begins to sing on the record about the bliss that comes with smoking excellently:
If I could fly, I’m sure I’d never come down/ With all of the nonsense on the ground, I wish I was high because I can’t live my life when it’s low/ So I’m going to call the bros and tell them to “Roll up one, right now.”
I’m so high, I’m so high-ah-ah/That’s how I get by-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-
Aiko released her third album, Chilombo, last March. She also unveiled a music video for her song “A&B” from the project. The 20-track album includes Ab-Soul, Big Sean, Future, Miguel, Nas, H.E.R., John Legend, and Ty Dolla $ign and peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 with an astonishing 152,000 album-equivalent units sold in the first week. Months later, she made public the album’s deluxe edition.
Jhené has integrated the art of acoustic healing into her music in order to assist listeners in overcoming adversity. “Because I’ve been studying sound healing, I wanted every track on this album to implement an actual, proven healing technique,” she explained in detail. “Not only could people vibe out to it and relate, but it could also help balance out various parts of their bodies, [make them] feel better, and make listening to the songs an experience.”
United States Attorney General Merrick Garland released a Statement saying (April 21) that the Justice Department has started an investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department’s “pattern or practice.” According to Garland, the investigation will ascertain whether the department has a pattern or practice of discriminatory policing.
The statement came one day after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of George Floyd’s violent killing.
“Today, I am announcing that the Justice Department has launched a civil investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department to ascertain whether it engages in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional, unlawful policing,” Garland said Wednesday.
The investigation will now be spurred by “knowledgeable attorneys” from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota, Garland clarified.
“The new civil investigation is distinct from and independent of the Justice Department’s originally scheduled federal criminal investigation into George Floyd’s death,” he added.
Together with the criminal investigation, Garland stated that the Justice Department “also has the authority to file a civil lawsuit.”
“Typically, when the Justice Department identifies illegal practices or patterns of conduct, the local police department enters into a proposed settlement or consent decree to guarantee that quick and appropriate action is taken to bring policing practices into compliance with the law,” he added.
Numerous representatives of the Minneapolis Police Department, both active and retired, testified against Chauvin during his trial, including Police Lt. Richard Zimmerman, Chief Medaria Arradondo, a use-of-force trainer, and a former sergeant. Arradondo stated last year that Floyd’s murder was not the result of a “lack of training.”
“Mr. George Floyd’s tragic demise was not the result of a lack of training; the training was present. Chauvin was aware of his actions,” he stated. “The officers were aware of what was occurring; one purposefully caused it, while the others failed to prevent it.”
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