KILLER COP VERDICT IS WELCOMED
A LEADING member of the black community in Burton has described the guilty verdict of George Floyd killer Derek Chauvin as a “huge relief” and something that could not have gone any other way.
The jury returned guilty verdicts after policeman Chauvin kneeled on a handcuffed man’s neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds during the arrest last year of Floyd, 46, in the US state of Minnesota, after a store clerk alleged he had passed a counterfeit $20 bill.
Chauvin, 45, was filmed kneeling on Mr Floyd’s neck in video which shocked the world and formed the centrepiece of damning evidence against the officer, who was sacked after the incident.
He is yet to be sentenced. After the court verdict, hundreds of people poured into the streets of Minneapolis, some running through traffic with banners.
The widely watched video footage last year sparked worldwide Black Lives Matter protests against racism and excessive use of force by police.
There were two protest events in Burton that were attended by hundreds of people.
Chauvin was found guilty on three charges: second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter. His bail was revoked and he was placed in custody. Sentencing is likely to happen in two months, and he could spend the rest of his life in jail.
Trevor Wright, chairman of the
Burton Caribbean Association, in Uxbridge Street, said he felt the verdict highlighted that treatment of black people by the justice system in America needed to be looked at so that “we don’t have any more
George Floyds losing their lives”. He said: “It’s a huge relief for me, my family and my community. A not guilty verdict was not possible – and if that was the case it would have caused mayhem around the world.
“The protests and outcry of emotion from the world uniting helped to bring this brutal act into the limelight and I, like many others, are very glad justice will be served.
“I am very grateful for the fact that the horrible act that Chauvin committed was captured by someone on their phone – otherwise this would not have been picked up.
“It was a brutal and inhumane act, one that needed to be punished and I am just very relieved as the last few days this trial and the lead-up to it has been on my mind.
“I do feel this is just the start and the justice system in America does need to be looked into so we don’t have any more George Floyds losing their lives.
“The sentence will be something a lot of people will be waiting for and hopefully in around eight weeks time, we will get the result we are all hoping for.”