Summary

King County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove is releasing the following statement concerning the guilty verdict announced in the trial of Derek Chauvin

Story

King County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove is releasing the following statement concerning the guilty verdict announced in the trial of Derek Chauvin:

“Today a jury in Minneapolis convicted Derek Chauvin of killing George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for nine minutes and twenty-nine seconds. 

“Nine minutes and twenty-nine seconds of ignoring the pleas of Mr. Floyd that he could not breathe. 

“Nine minutes and twenty-nine seconds of disregarding the cries of concerned bystanders. 

“Nine minutes and twenty-nine seconds of dispassionately ignoring his duties as a police officer and his compassion as a man. 

“Sadly, this country has a history of oppression – a history of kneeling on the backs of our African-American community – and this must stop. 

We must raise each other up – not push each other down. 

“We must say enough is enough and never let another Black person be tortured by those who are meant to protect our society. 

“As your King County Councilmember, I will continue my work to root out institutional racism throughout our criminal justice system. This means continuing our efforts to: 

• demilitarize our police; 
• further restrict unnecessary use of force; 
• strengthen civilian oversight of the King County Sheriff’s Office including independent investigation authority and subpoena power; 
• improve the inquest process for families of police shooting victims; and 
• try to find savings in traditional police budgets to invest instead in community-based approaches proven effective at delivering justice and keeping us safe. 

Our nation can do better, and King County will lead the way.”