Everytown, Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action Responds to Verdict in Trial of Derek Chauvin, Minneapolis Police Officer Who Killed George Floyd

MINNEAPOLIS — Everytown for Gun Safety, and Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, Everytown’s grassroots networks, released the following statements on the jury’s verdict finding Derek Chauvin guilty on charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd. 

“George Floyd should be alive today. No verdict can bring him back but we are glad the jury made the right decision,” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action. “We will continue to stand with the community in the fight for the long overdue changes to the racist systems that all too often lead to the death of Black people at the hands of the police. And we join the Floyd family in calling for Senate passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act as one of the steps towards change.”

“This verdict represents one small but important step forward in the ongoing fight to prevent police violence,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “But as an organization that includes many survivors of gun violence, we know that no judge or jury can give the Floyd family what they want most of all, which is the return of their brother, father, and grandfather. Everytown is honoring the memory of George Floyd by fighting to stop police violence, and that includes pushing the Senate to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and working state by state to pass police accountability laws.”

“This verdict is a brief moment of relief during a tumultuous week, month and year in our nation,” said Angela Ferrell-Zabala, Head of Movement Building at Everytown for Gun Safety. “There is nothing the jury could have said today to deliver justice to the Floyd family, but this was important nonetheless. As we move forward in this fight, our volunteers across the country stand ready to continue the fight to hold the perpetrators of police violence accountable — and will use our grassroots power to urge lawmakers to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.”

“Black lives matter. George Floyd’s life mattered,” said Jessica DeWeerth, a volunteer with the Minnesota chapter of Mom Demand Action. “Today’s verdict is a step in the right direction — but it is an outlier and won’t bring George Floyd back. We stand with George’s family and community in demanding changes to a system that continues to perpetuate police violence against Black people.”

More information about police violence is available here.