Chauvin was found guilty on all charges in the trial for the murder of George Floyd.
The Obamas, Kamala Harris, Oprah Winfrey, and more public figures are reacting to Derek Chauvin’s guilty verdict on all charges in the trial for the murder of George Floyd. (Chauvin was charged with three counts: unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.)
“For almost a year, George Floyd’s death under the knee of a police officer has reverberated around the world—inspiring murals and marches, sparking conversations in living rooms, and new legislation,” the Obamas, Barack and Michele, wrote in a joint statement. “But a more basic question has always remained: Would justice be done?”
Last May, 17-year-old Darnella Frazier captured footage of Chauvin, then a police officer, kneeling on George Floyd’s neck for nine minutes. That footage tremendously impacted the final verdict—which Frazier reacted to, as well, on social media.
I just cried so hard,” she wrote on Twitter. “This last hour my heart was beating so fast, I was so anxious, anxiety bussing through the roof. But to know GUILTY ON ALL 3 CHARGES !!! THANK YOU GOD THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. George Floyd we did it!! justice has been served.”
I just cried so hard,” she wrote on Twitter. “This last hour my heart was beating so fast, I was so anxious, anxiety bussing through the roof. But to know GUILTY ON ALL 3 CHARGES !!! THANK YOU GOD THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. George Floyd we did it!! justice has been served.”
Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden made a statement as well. “A measure of justice isn’t the same as equal justice,” Harris said alongside Biden. “This verdict brings us a step closer, and the fact is, we still have work to do.”
The president and vice president also called the Floyd family personally after the verdict was read. “I am just so thankful for the entire family for your courage, your commitment, your strength,” Harris said during the call, which was shared on Twitter by the family’s attorney, Ben Crump. “This is a day of justice in America, and your family…has been real leaders in this moment when we needed you. In George’s name and memory, we are going to make sure his legacy is intact and that history will look at this moment and know that it was an inflection moment.”
Meanwhile, Oprah Winfrey shared a photo of Floyd and wrote how she felt “relieved” and “emotional” post-verdict.
“I cried tears of joy as each verdict was read,” she said. “I’m grateful to the witnesses and their testimonies. Grateful to Darnella Frazier. Grateful to every Juror for seeing and acknowledging what the world saw on that tape. Thank you God for real!”
Chauvin’s sentencing hearing will be held in eight weeks.
