Civil Rights Lawyer Ben Crump, Floyd Household Authorized Staff React to Derek Chauvin Sentencing

George Floyd’s family and attorney Ben Crump welcomed the verdict received Friday by former Minnesota Police Officer Derek Chauvin, calling it “historic” and saying it provided “closure and accountability” for both family and friends for a nation that counts on racial justice.

“This historic phrase takes the Floyd family and our nation one step closer to healing by providing closure and accountability,” the family and their legal team said in a statement.

“Exceptionally, a police officer who wrongly took the life of a black man was brought to justice,” the statement said. “This shouldn’t be an exception, but tragically it is. Day after day, year after year, the police kill black people without any consequences. But today, with Chauvin’s judgment, we are taking a significant step forward – something that has been inconceivable in a very short space of time. “Before.”

The statement goes on to say: “Now we expect that Chauvin will also be convicted of the federal charges pending against him and that the three other officials will be confronted with consequences for their actions. That would be an important additional step towards justice. “

Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill last year sentenced Chauvin to 22 and a half years in prison for Floyd’s murder. Shortly thereafter, Crump tweeted: “22.5 YEARS! This historic phrase takes the Floyd family and our nation one step closer to healing by providing closure and accountability. “

Chauvin faced up to 40 years imprisonment, but the prosecution demanded 30 years.

After the conviction, the Floyd family also called on the Senate to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to bring about “real, lasting change” with police reform.

“At the same time, it is important to recognize how far we have come,” said the family’s statement. “Those who have raised their voices to seek justice for George Floyd need to know that their activism has made a difference. Not only have Chauvin and the city of Minneapolis been held accountable, but cities and states across the country have passed significant reforms, including restrictions on strangleholds and better training and protocols. “

The statement added, “We need this phrase to usher in a new era of accountability that will transform the way police treat black people. To achieve that – real, permanent changes in coast-to-coast police departments – we need the US Senate to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act without further delay. “

Philonise Floyd, George Floyd’s brother, looks down on Gianna Floyd, George’s daughter, as she walks on Aug.
Erin Scott / Pool

Prior to the sentencing, Floyd’s daughter, nephew, and two brothers discussed the effects of his death on their families. Brothers Philonise and Terrence called for the maximum sentence, saying that they have waited for justice every day since Floyd’s death and that if roles were reversed there would be no speculation about the punishment.

“I didn’t sleep properly because I keep having nightmares when I hear my brother begging over and over again and begging for his life,” Philonise told the judge. “They even say, ‘You’re going to kill me. Please, officer. ‘ Scream for our mother. “

Terrence said the family would not see another “slap on the wrist” and called for real justice in the form of a maximum sentence.

“On behalf of me and my family, we are demanding the maximum penalty,” Terrence said in court. “We don’t want to see any more slaps. We’ve been through that … No, no, no, no.”

He added, “If it were us, if the roles were reversed, there would be no case. It would have been open and closed. We would have been in jail for murdering someone. So we are demanding the same punishment for Derek Chauvin. “

Floyd’s 7-year-old daughter Gianna made a statement of effects on a video saying she was asking about her late father all the time. She said that if she could see him again, she would say, “I miss you and I love you.”