Derek Chauvin conviction necessary, but more needs to be done

 MINNEAPOLIS -- Earlier today a jury convicted former police officer Derek Chauvin in the killing of George Floyd. Chauvin, who is white, was charged with second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of Floyd, a Black man. Video recordings show that Floyd was handcuffed and held face down on the asphalt and that Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly nine and a half minutes. 
 
The following is a statement from Margaret Huang, president and CEO of the Southern Poverty Law Center. 
 
“The killing of George Floyd was an appalling act of police violence that shocked and horrified millions of Americans and led to protests globally calling for racial justice and police accountability. We’ve all seen the sickening video of Derek Chauvin with his knee on George Floyd’s neck. Today’s verdict is an acknowledgement that police officers cannot get away with murder, but we still have a long way to go to achieve the justice demanded by so many protesters in the last year.  
“Derek Chauvin was filmed putting his knee on George Floyd’s neck for nine and a half minutes. Most cases involving police killings don’t have video capturing what happened. The fact that justice was done in this case cannot allow us to forget about the deaths of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, Dion Johnson, among many others. But this case galvanized a movement for justice that has expanded across the country, rooted in longstanding demands for a reimagining of a criminal legal system built on anti-Black racism and white supremacy. Lawmakers at the state and federal level must begin holding officers accountable for police violence. The time to act is now.”