Ariz. legal community applauds conviction
The killing of a Black man by a Minnesota police officer, captured on cellphone video, led to a racial reckoning in Arizona and across the country. Thousands of people demonstrated for months, demanding criminal justice reform and justice for George Floyd.
After a guilty verdict was returned against the officer Tuesday, defense attorney Jocquese Blackwell reflected on how a jury in 1992 made a different choice. It acquitted officers involved in assault and use of force against Rodney King in Los Angeles even though there was video evidence.
This time, a jury believed in what it saw on video, Blackwell said.
But more work needs to be made to hold people accountable across the country, he said.
“It further illuminates the issues we are having in the criminal justice system in this country, because time and time again, there are a number of other George Floyds out there that have been killed by police,” Blackwell said.
After a day of deliberation, a jury found Derek Chauvin guilty of murder in Floyd’s death in May 2020. Video showed Chauvin placing his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes while the man said he couldn’t breathe.
The jury convicted Chauvin on all three counts: second-degree and thirddegree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
The verdict will have a long-lasting impact on the legal system, according to those working in Arizona’s county attorney offices, law enforcement agencies
and defense community.
No charges in high-profile cases
Several high-profile deaths have been investigated in Arizona in which officers were not charged in the deaths.
Muhammad Muhaymin Jr. died while in Phoenix police custody in 2017. At least four officers held him down. Some of the officers had their knees on his neck and head.
Antonio Arce, 14, was shot and killed by a Tempe police officer in 2019.
Dion Johnson was shot and killed by a Department of Transportation trooper on the same day as Floyd: May 25, 2020.
Ryan Whitaker was shot and killed by Phoenix police in May.
Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone said law enforcement must represent equality and justice. Communities deserve better, he said.
“Today, a person empowered to protect and serve was convicted of murder. Today, a disenfranchised community received justice. Unfortunately, that does not restore a lost life,” Penzone stated. “Although law enforcement represents order, we must better represent equality and justice. The diverse and complex community we serve deserves better. We must demand it of ourselves. We must lead with respect and hold ourselves accountable.”
Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel said the jury made a thoughtful and deliberative decision.
“The jury’s tireless dedication to these proceedings should be recognized and honored,” she said. “The weight of this decision will certainly stay with them long after the news cameras have moved on, and I thank them for their service. As a nation, we must continue to address inequality both inside and outside the halls of justice.”
Among his family and fiancée, Floyd left behind a young daughter. Pima County Attorney Laura Conover said in a statement the office’s thoughts remain with his family and loved ones.
“Though the process is meant to deliver some measure of closure to victims, today’s verdict will not bring Mr. Floyd back to his family and loved ones,” Conover said. “Our collective thoughts remain with them today.
Blackwell, who represented Johnson’s family, said he is relieved that the jury in Chauvin’s trial decided that Black lives matter and thinks the prosecutors did a great job with presenting the facts.
“They presented the evidence against this police officer in a way that made me believe they wanted a conviction,” the defense attorney said of the prosecutors. “I’ve seen other trials against officers where to me it didn’t seem like the prosecution was actually invested in getting a conviction.”
Prosecutors across the country can learn from the case on how to successfully prosecute officers for wrongful actions and now know the public will support it, Blackwell said.
The verdict will hopefully “ring in the ears” of lawyers, judges, officers and others who hold power, the Arizona Attorneys for Criminal Justice said in a statement.
“This verdict hopefully sends a message that the criminal justice system does not work without full accountability for everyone,” the group stated. “As criminal defense attorneys, we see injustices and selective application of the law every day.”
Advocacy groups call for reform
Farhana Khera, executive director of Muslim Advocates said the verdict was long overdue and police involved in the deaths of others across the country must be held accountable. The national organization mentioned Muhaymin.
“We must hold accountable all the other officers involved in the killings of Daunte Wright, Adam Toledo, Breonna Taylor, Muhammad Muhaymin Jr. and the many, many other Black people and people of color who have been harmed and killed by the police,” Khera said. “Further, we must all take drastic, immediate action to overhaul the law enforcement and justice systems that have allowed this violence to continue for so long.”
Jason Williamson, deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Criminal Law Reform Project, said in a statement Floyd will no longer be able to play games with his daughter or go on walks with his fiancée.
“While today’s verdict is a step forward in the fight for police accountability and may help heal a grieving community, the systems that allowed a police officer to murder Mr. Floyd, ripping him away from his family and the communities that loved him so much, remain fully intact,” Williamson said.
“These are the same systems that resulted in the death of another 20-yearold Black man (Daunte Wright) at the hands of police less than 10 miles from this trial.”