U.S. Rep. Lawrence Statement on Verdict of Derek Chauvin Trial

Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Representative Brenda L. Lawrence (MI-14) issued the following statement regarding the guilty verdict of the Derek Chauvin trial on all three counts in the murder of George Floyd.

“There’s no amount of time that could’ve prepared us for the verdict of this trial. The only thing was left leading up to it is your thoughts and the growing pit in your stomach. When I heard the news of the guilty verdict, I was relieved. This is one small step toward accountability. But make no mistake, George Floyd should still be alive today. That is justice. But I hope the verdict brings some measure of peace to George Floyd’s family, and I continue to pray for them as they deal with the pain and trauma of losing their loved one.

“We still have so much work to do to fix a system that has denied accountability and justice for Black Americans for far too long. Today renews a call for action. We need to make real change, and it starts with getting the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act passed in the Senate and signed into law. Let’s do it for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and the countless other Black Americans whose lives were taken due to police violence and brutality. Black lives matter, today and always.”