[JUSTICE SERVED]

‘History Was Made’: Floyd Family Attorneys Hail Chauvin Verdict—and Urge Lawmakers to Seek Police Reform

Celebrating the guilty verdict, attorneys for George Floyd’s family took the opportunity to call for pols to pass important police reform legislation.

Attorneys representing George Floyd’s family praised Tuesday’s verdict, which saw former police officer Derek Chauvin found guilty on all charges, including second-degree murder, for his involvement in the unarmed Black man’s death. “Today, history was made,” said attorney Benjamin Crump, who called the verdict a “turning point in American history” for police reform, made possible by “sacrificial blood.” Crump urged legislators to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which would prohibit no-knock raids of the kind that claimed Breonna Taylor’s life, push federal law enforcement officers to wear body cameras, and create a federal registry of police misconduct, among other potential reforms.

Attorney Anthony Romanucci hammered home the verdict’s connection to on-the-streets policing. The decision was critical, Romannucci said, because “it reinforces significant reforms underway in Minneapolis.” Romanucci called on Minnesota lawmakers to pass laws mandating that police keep body cameras on, practice de-escalation techniques, and report on-the-job- uses of force. “Now George Floyd’s soul can finally rest in peace,” said attorney L. Chris Stewart. “Justice has been served.”

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McCaffrey BlaunerFormer Breaking News Intern

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