Relief, Elation as Chauvin Found Guilty

Derek Chauvin showed little emotion as the three guilty verdicts against him in the death of George Floyd were read out Tuesday, but there was jubilation outside the Minneapolis court building. The AP reports that there were cheers among hundreds of people gathered in a nearby park and people flooded downtown streets, some waving banners as drivers honked their horns. Philonise Floyd, one of Floyd's brothers, was in the courtroom and hugged prosecutor Jerry Blackwell, the Star Tribune reports. More:

• "Painfully earned justice." "Painfully earned justice has arrived for George Floyd's family and the community here in Minneapolis, but today's verdict goes far beyond this city and has significant implications for the country and even the world. Justice for Black America is justice for all of America," Floyd family attorney Ben Crump said in a prepared statement after Chauvin was found guilty of murder and manslaughter. Crump said the verdict is "a turning point in American history for accountability of law enforcement and sends a clear message we hope is heard clearly in every city and every state."

• AG praises community members. CNN reports that Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison praised the "simple yet profound acts of courage" of those who recorded Chauvin putting his knee on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes. "What happened on that street was wrong," Ellison said. "We owe them our gratitude for fulfilling their civic duty and for their courage in telling the truth."
• "One important step." Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz were among numerous leaders who welcomed the verdict but said much work remains to be done, the Washington Post reports. The verdict "won’t change the fact that George Floyd’s family has been rendered incomplete," Walz said, but it "marks an important step in our pursuit of racial justice in Minneapolis—one important step on a much longer journey."
• Floyd's girlfriend: "Thank God for this moment." George Floyd's girlfriend, Courteney Ross, called the decision a "moment to celebrate" before the fight for racial justice resumes, the Guardian reports. "Floyd was one man," she said. "George Floyd is a movement."
• Police federation speaks out. "There are no winners in this case, and we respect the jury's decision," the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis said in a statement after the former officer was found guilty, per the Star Tribune. "We need the political pandering to stop and the race-baiting of elected officials to stop."

(More Derek Chauvin stories.)