People rally in Grand Rapids, Detroit after Chauvin guilty verdict
People rallied Tuesday in Detroit and Grand Rapids after a jury in Minneapolis convicted a former police officer of murder in the death of George Floyd.
Grand Rapids, which had some of Michigan’s worst violence last May after Floyd’s death, placed concrete barriers around the police department just hours before the verdict was announced.
Officials said they would protect the right to peacefully assemble but also wanted to be on guard for “chaos and destruction.”
“Whatever the outcome of this trial, we know people will be emotional and passionate in their reactions,” Police Chief Eric Payne and City Manager Mark Washington said in a joint statement.
Marchers with Black Lives Matter signs moved through downtown Grand Rapids, calling for police reform and chanting the names of Black people who have been killed by police.
In Detroit, Police Chief James Craig said Floyd’s death was a “stain on our profession.”
“The justice system worked,” he said, referring to the verdict against Derek Chauvin.
Chauvin, who is white, put his knee on Floyd’s neck during an arrest. He was convicted of murder and manslaughter in the Black man’s death.
Floyd’s death led to weeks of daily protests in Detroit. People returned to
the streets after the verdict.
Locally, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office was prepared for whatever the verdict might bring.
“We always plan for the unexpected and have assets at the ready for any situation, not just today. We are prepared for anything that may arise today,” Undersheriff Mike McCabe said Tuesday afternoon.
Two Oakland County representatives in Congress expressed relief at the verdict.
“So many white people in positions of power have killed Black men, Black women, Black children and gotten away with it. Could it be different this time? We saw this murder with our own eyes. There was no question. And yet, we have
felt the same in other cases in the past,” U.S. Rep. Andy Levin said in a statement.
“Now we know. A jury of his peers has found Derek Chauvin guilty on all counts. It is such a relief that at least in this one case, on this one day, justice was served in America.
U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence said, “Black lives matter, today and always.”
“When I heard the news of the guilty verdict, I was relieved,” Lawrence said. “This is one small step toward accountability. But make no mistake, George Floyd should still be alive today. That is justice. But I hope the verdict brings some measure of peace to George Floyd’s family, and I continue to pray for them
as they deal with the pain and trauma of losing their loved one.
“We still have so much work to do to fix a system that has denied accountability and justice for Black Americans for far too long. Today renews a call for action. We need to make real change, and it starts with getting the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act passed in the Senate and signed into law. Let’s do it for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and the countless other Black Americans whose lives were taken due to police violence and brutality.”