People celebrate the guilty verdict in the Dereck Chauvin trail at the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue on April 20, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) Several Jewish groups have praised the conviction of Officer Derek Chauvin in the killing of George Floyd, a Black man. On April 20, a jury convicted Chauvin of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Chauvin could face up to 40 years in prison.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said in a statement that while the verdict was “critically necessary,” it doesn’t “change the fact that George Floyd — and Breonna Taylor, Daunte Wright, Adam Toledo, and too many others — should be alive today. Our country’s policing and criminal legal systems have targeted and devalued Black, brown, and Indigenous lives for centuries. The issue is much bigger than one traffic stop, one no-knock raid, one police shooting, one department, or one city. It is long past time for our country to tackle systemic racism, reimagine what public safety looks like, and create transformational change to ensure justice and fair treatment for all people.”
The American Jewish Committee tweeted, “Nothing can bring back the life of George Floyd. But, at the very least, justice has been served today.”
Nothing can bring back the life of George Floyd. But, at the very least, justice has been served today.
— American Jewish Committee (@AJCGlobal) April 20, 2021
Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) similarly said in a statement, “Mr. Floyd cannot be returned to his family and loved ones, so justice can never be fully done, but we hope today’s conviction brings them some comfort and allows them to begin healing. This verdict represents an important step toward addressing the grave injustices he and so many other people of color have suffered. DMFI will continue to advocate for policies that will dismantle the systemic racism that still plagues our country.”
Stosh Cotler, CEO of Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, said in a statement there will never be justice for Floyd “as long as this racist system of police violence continues to exist. We call for our Jewish community, especially white Jews, to rise up for Black lives and dismantle the centuries-old structures of white supremacy that take the lives of too many. We rise in solidarity with Black and brown people — including Jews of color — resisting in the Twin Cities, in Brooklyn Center, in our Jewish communities, and across the country.”
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