Arizona delegation’s reaction split.
The verdict in the Derek Chauvin murder trial seemed to reopen the partisan split over race and justice in America for Arizona’s congressional delegation.
The state’s Democrats embraced the guilty verdicts against the former Minnesota police officer who killed George Floyd last year either as appropriate or as a way to address larger social inequities. Two of the state’s four House Republicans used the occasion to attack Democrats as hypocritical in overlooking the words of one of their members over the weekend.
“Accountability. Finally. Now we keep working towards justice and major reform,” said Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., in a tweet shortly after the verdict.
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., echoed the need for further change.
“I hope this trial’s conclusion brings some level of healing and solace to George Floyd’s loved ones, as we continue working toward a future in which all Americans have equal protection under the law,” she said.
After George Floyd’s death in May 2020, Sinema said he should still be alive and that the video of his death was grounds for Chauvin’s arrest. She said she supported the investigations into Floyd’s death “because bad police officers make it harder for good police officers to do their jobs safely.” Sinema’s brother is a Tucson police officer.
Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., the son of police officers, said in a statement the verdict brought accountability for Floyd’s murder.
“We must continue building a more just system that does not discriminate against any American because of their race,” he said.
Last year, he spoke of inequities within the nation’s criminal justice system and beyond, saying it required independent oversight to stop misconduct and discrimination.
Moments before the verdict was announced, Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., a former prosecutor, attacked Democrats for voting down a GOP effort to censure Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., for her comments in Minnesota over the weekend urging people “to get more confrontational” if there was no guilty verdict in the case.
“The Democrats willingly protect violence against our police officers,” Biggs tweeted just ahead of the verdict. Afterward, he tweeted against the Democratic-led Green New Deal.
Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., had a similar complaint.
She cited Waters’ words, then added: “But today, not a single House Democrat voted to hold Waters accountable for her dangerous words. Shameful.”
The partisan attacks seemed to sidestep the issue of Chauvin’s actions and rekindled the law-and-order message Republicans used against Democrats last year after Floyd’s death triggered mass protests and scattered looting and violence.
Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., addressed the verdict more directly by calling for restraint in judging the matter at all, and wanted peace.
“One must sit through the trial and hear all of the evidence in order to understand what the jury saw,” he said in a statement. “I did not, and most people did not. I do pray for peace for the families involved.”
Rep. Tom O’Halleran, D-Ariz., and a former Chicago detective, acknowledged the legal process and a need to address racism in America.
“As a former police officer, I know how important it is that those who have sworn to protect and serve are held to the highest standards,” he said in a pair of tweets. “Today, Derek Chauvin was held accountable by a jury of his peers. Going forward, we must commit to the important, ongoing work needed to address systemic racism and rebuild broken trust between police and the communities they serve.”
Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Ariz., also a former prosecutor, said the decision provided a measure of accountability.
“Today, the jury stood with the people and reaffirmed the fact: Black Lives Matter. George Floyd’s life mattered,” she said in a statement. “We have to hold our systems accountable, over and over again, and thankfully, that is what the jury did today.
“The work to establish long-overdue, permanent, morally-right solutions to police brutality continues. Our justice system is only as strong as those who demand accountability, and change is urgent. I’m committed to working with the Biden-Harris Administration and the millions of Americans calling for action. The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act must become law and we must commit ourselves to the pursuit of justice — for all.”
Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., welcomed the verdict but insisted Congress must take concrete steps to address police practices across the country.
“I am grateful that justice was served for George Floyd and his family. But this verdict does not erase the systemic problems that put Black lives at risk every day in America — and we, as a people, have more work to do,” Stanton said in a pair of tweets. “That starts in Congress, where the Senate must do what the House did more than a month ago: pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Failing to move forward on this bill — or allowing it to die by filibuster — would be a grave injustice.”
Stanton, a former Phoenix mayor, noted the police body-camera videos “proved critical in this trial. Today’s outcome reinforces how imperative it is that every police officer in America utilize body-worn cameras while on duty.”
Stanton introduced a bill to outfit U.S. Capitol Police with such cameras after the deadly Jan. 6 riot and last year sought to require them for police departments to qualify for federal funding.
Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., called the verdict an overdue reckoning for police.
“After so many miscarriages of justice in the aftermath of senseless police killings, today’s guilty verdict was a long-awaited step in the right direction to holding police officers accountable,” he said in a statement. “Although nothing can bring George Floyd back, I hope this guilty verdict provides some form of comfort to his grieving family.
“We must continue to ensure the movement his death inspired lives on in real, long-lasting transformations to policing and reforms to our criminal justice system. … I will keep fighting in Congress to make it easier to punish bad police officers and begin the process of dismantling the racist policies that have flourished in police departments across the country. We cannot allow George Floyd’s death to be in vain.”
Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., did not immediately release public statements about the verdict or respond to a request for one.