Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin began his first full day in the state prison the Wednesday after He was found guilty of murdering George Floyd in a groundbreaking process.
Chauvin was convicted Second degree murder, third degree murder and second degree manslaughter after Floyd’s death in police custody last May.
Tears of joy, relief, and determination to continue fighting for racial justice filled the streets of Minneapolis as well across the nation after reading the judgment on Tuesday afternoon.
Chauvin kneeled by Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes, and in videotaping of his death, Floyd repeatedly said he couldn’t breathe. After the verdict is pronounced His brother Philonise Floyd said: “Today we can breathe again.”
But even with a verdict, the legal proceedings at Chauvin are far from over sentencing a few weeks away and threatening appeals.
Here’s what we know on Wednesday:
Department of Justice investigating police operations in Minneapolis
The Justice Department becomes one Federal Civil Rights Investigation into Police Operations in Minneapolis.
Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the review on Wednesday, reviving a Justice Department strategy to hold local police departments accountable for engaging in a pattern of worrying behavior.
Garland repealed a policy last week by Jeff Sessions, the attorney general for former President Donald Trump, who restricted the use of so-called consent decrees. Under the Trump administration, Justice Department intervention in local police matters has largely been paralyzed.
– Kevin Johnson and Kristine Phillips
Chauvin booking mug shot released, placed in a separate unit
Chauvin had revoked his bail and was taken into custody immediately after the verdict was read on Tuesday. He was handcuffed from the Hennepin County courtroom and posted to a Minnesota State Prison in Oak Park Heights.
Chauvin has also been placed in a separate unit called the Administrative Control Unit and “during pending investigations or when continued presence in the general population could pose a particular security risk,” according to the Corrections Department
The corrections department also released his recording photo.
How long will Derek Chauvin be in jail?
A conviction hearing has not yet been held, but Chauvin faces a recommended prison sentence of 150 months or 12½ years under the Guidelines for First-Time Offenders. However, the public prosecutor’s office is seeking a higher prison sentence due to “aggravating factors”. He can be imprisoned for up to 30 years, although the judge can sentence him less.
When will Derek Chauvin be sentenced?
After reading the ruling, Judge Peter Cahill said there would be a hearing in about eight weeks.
Darnella Frazier, teenager who filmed Floyd’s death: “Justice has been served”
Darnella Frazier, the teenager, her cell phone video helped spark calls for justice shortly after Floyd’s death, played a central role in the trial, and was pleased to hear about Chauvin’s guilty verdict.
“I was just crying so hard,” she said wrote in a post on Facebook where she shared the video last May. “In this last hour my heart was beating so fast, I was so scared, fear shot through the roof. But to BE GUILTY TO ALL 3 FEES !!! THANK GOD THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.”
“George Floyd, we did it !!” She added, “Justice has been served.”
Frazier received widespread praise for considering recording what happened to Floyd and testifying during the trial. In December she was too Awarded the PEN America Award for courage.
In her comments after the verdict was read, Vice President Kamala Harris even nodded at the video, saying, “Because of smartphones, so many Americans have now seen the racial injustice that black Americans have known for generations.”
What happened in Minneapolis, other cities, after the verdict was read?
Cheers broke out George Floyd Square when Cahill read the verdict. People cried, hugged, and sang Floyd’s name. Some tossed a handful of dollar bills in the air.
The intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue – known today as George Floyd Square – is a makeshift memorial to Floyd and a place of healing in the community after Floyd was killed at that location last May. On Tuesday it was an epicenter of joyous disbelief.
There was silence Crowd outside the Hennepin County Courthouse when Cahill read the verdict. Then there was a jubilation: “GUILTY!” they shouted. “All three!”
“It’s so traumatic. We need a guilty verdict. We have to heal. We need to heal, ”said Amber Young, 50.
Elsewhere, emotions played a big role when news broke. Celebrations and demonstrations took place in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Atlanta, Portland, Oregon and other cities.
What did Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and Nancy Pelosi say about the verdict?
President Joe Biden called for a “moment of significant change” on Tuesday. combat systemic racism in police work.
“Nobody should be above the law, and today’s ruling sends that message,” Biden said in a White House speech. “But it’s not enough. It can’t stop there. To bring about real change and reform, we can and must do more to reduce the likelihood that such tragedies will ever happen again.”
He also urged the Senate to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.
In the early afternoon, Biden called the Floyd family. “I feel better now,” said Biden on Tuesday, his voice being audible Family Attorney Ben Crump Put the president on spokesperson for the family to hear. “There is nothing that can do anything better. But at least there is some justice now.”
Vice President Kamala Harris, the country’s first black and female vice president, also called for more work to be done to combat racism, saying, “A measure of justice is not the same as equal justice.”
“Here is the truth about racial injustice. It’s not just a problem for black Americans or the people of color. It’s a problem for every American. It prevents us from fulfilling the promise of freedom and justice for all,” said you.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi came under fire after she said, “Thank you George Floyd for sacrificing your life for justice.” Many struggled with Pelosi’s phrasing and found that Floyd did not “sacrifice” his life willingly, but was murdered.
What is George Floyd’s Police Act?
The House passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act – named in Floyd’s honor – in March. It didn’t pass the Senate.
The bill aims to strengthen police accountability and prevent problem officials from moving from one department to another by creating a national register to keep track of those with checkered records.
It would also end certain police practices that came under scrutiny after Black Americans died last year, including bans on racial and religious profiling and bans on chokeholds, carotid holds, and no-knock warrants.
The bill would also require the use of federal funds to ensure the use of body cameras, change the law enforcement standard for the police from “premeditation” to “recklessness”, and reform qualified immunity.
What happened to the other officers involved in George Floyd’s death?
Former Minneapolis police officers J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao are charged with complicity in second degree murder and second degree manslaughter. Their joint process begins at the end of August.
Featuring: Eric Ferkenhoff, Tami Abdollah, Kevin McCoy, N’dea Yancey-Bragg, Trevor Hughes, Joey Garrison, Savannah Behrmann and Grace Hauck, USA TODAY.
