The jury in the murder trial of ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the death of George Floyd reached a guilty verdict today after 10 hours of deliberations.
Related: Trans Minneapolis city councilman speaks out about George Floyd case
Chauvin was found guilty on three charges, including second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. The third-degree murder charge was initially dismissed, but it was reinstated after an appeals court ruling in an unrelated case established new grounds for it.
Related: Billy Porter delivers impassioned message supporting #BlackLivesMatter
Floyd had five children and two grandchildren and was a much-loved figure in his community, referred to as a “gentle giant” by many. His death on May 25, 2020 ignited protests in Minneapolis, throughout the United States, and around the world and prompted calls for police reform and awakened many on issues of systemic racism and racial injustice.
Here’s how folx are responding to the verdict on Twitter…
A murderer found guilty of murder.
— George M Johnson (@IamGMJohnson) April 20, 2021
I am crying GUILTY GUILTY GUILTY#BlackLivesMatter
— TransLivesMatter Activist "Ada J"® (@AllTransLivesM1) April 20, 2021
Derek Chauvin as the judge read the verdict: pic.twitter.com/V3pkr3PiYo
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) April 20, 2021
Grateful they gave the verdict guilty on all charges.
Angry and deeply sad that I'm shocked by it.
— RevDaniel (@RevDaniel) April 20, 2021
Meanwhile, the motherfuckers that killed Breonna Taylor are free and getting book deals. This verdict ain’t nowhere near enough. No verdict could be.
— Saeed Jones (@theferocity) April 20, 2021
The look of complete panic on Derek Chauvin's face when those verdicts came out?????
— findom earle (@coherentstates) April 20, 2021
Cops aren't going to like this verdict. I hope they stay peaceful.
— Joshua Potash (@JoshuaPotash) April 20, 2021
GUILTY.
But it's still fuck the police.
George Floyd should still be alive today. #BlackLivesMatter
— Ernest Owens (@MrErnestOwens) April 20, 2021
Chauvin’s reaction to one guilty verdict, let alone 3, is SO telling. And reflective of how powerful & untouchable the police believe they are. Abolish their institution.
— Shahmir Sanni (@shahmiruk) April 20, 2021
It’s sad that this open-and-shut case ending with the most clear & obvious verdict should feel like a nail-biting victory
— Paul F. Tompkins (@PFTompkins) April 20, 2021
WE LOVE TO FUCKING SEE IT!!! GUILTY ON ALL THREE COUNTS AND REMANDED BACK TO PRISON!!!! #GUILTY #ChauvinTrial #verdict pic.twitter.com/MPLv1XgrYN
— Kenshi Hayabusa, Samurai Stormtrooper (@KenshiHayabusa) April 20, 2021
Maxine Waters’ reaction to Chauvin guilty verdict on all three counts: “Someone said it better than me: I’m not celebrating. I’m relieved.”
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) April 20, 2021
3! ??
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) April 20, 2021
A reminder that victory would be George Floyd being alive. Every day Black Americans worry if they will be next is another day without justice.
— Amanda Gorman (@TheAmandaGorman) April 20, 2021
Rest in power George Floyd. pic.twitter.com/OcqcKHnUGa
— Johanna Fuentes (@jfuentes) April 20, 2021
Catholicslutbox
Didn’t the judge tell the jurors that they should pack a bag because it was going to be a long one?
BaltoSteve
The judge did because of how charged this case happened to be and it was best to be prepared for long deliberations. However, the reality with juries is no one knows how long it will take.
cuteguy
How is this a gay story?
Godabed
You can be LGBTQIA and black, also arguments for gay marriage/right were based on Black Civil Rights movement. When black people win we all win.
Also I cried and had so much anxiety when they said the verdict was in. I’m still crying. It’s amazing to me that it’s a collective cry that so many people are having, it’s not just a black issue. It’s about accountability and hope that things will change for the better.
Cam
Are there no black LGBTQ people? Are LGBTQ people not harassed by the police?
Hdtex
@cuteguy
Write your OWN damn blog asshat.
Dijonaise
Even though the Black community in general is very unaccepting of us gays, we shall keep taking the high road and realize that all marginalized communities share the burden of making the future better for all of us. Us gays were there at the beginning with Dr. King. Their struggle is our struggle, even if it seems they will be the first to dump on us queers. None of us are free as long as one of us is chained.
Kangol2
Just stop the mischaracterization of an entire race of people. Stop it. Do you write this crap when we read about the innumerable White people who are oppressing you as a gay person? Do you? Right now, there are White politicians in numerous US states trying to take away your rights as a gay person. Do you condemn White people as hating gay people? That you would even take this line in the face of what was a very clear case of a cop murdering a nonviolent, unarmed person–another human being–says everything about you.
man5996853
“Their struggle is our struggle, even if it seems they will be the first to dump on us queers.”
Talk about taking the high road via a passively racist comment.
ScottOnEarth
I don’t know where you’re from but my experience has been that the Black community is exceptionally open and welcoming. Far more so than the gay community.
Godabed
I am black and pansexual, we are not a monolith. Stop trying to make black people the enemy of the gay community it’s no more true then the heterosexual white community being an enemy of the gay community.
Some people are ignorant a$$holes, and they hate other people for stupid reasons.
MissTerri
You are not wrong. Although public opinion polls show that black americans are more supportive of gay rights than they were a decade ago, they are still less supportive than other races. These are known facts. You can choose to ignore them if you like but that doesn’t make them less true.
Cam
Funny then that I don’t see the black community trying to pass laws against our civil rights. The massively white Republican Party and the Massively white evangelicals churches, and the massively white Mormon church are all trying to fight against our civil rights.
Black voters put senators and congress people in office who are pushing for LGBTQ civil rights.
But yeah, let’s pretend THEY’RE the problem.
WashDrySpin
Thank you Cam for your astute words
So many people are just plain racist and ignorant
Prax07
Guess we’ll see how police react to this the next time they’re needed. Wether they show up or not when called.
Kangol2
Cops are paid by our TAX DOLLARS. Everyone’s. They don’t work for free. So they should show up and do their jobs, and protect and serve the public. There is no reason for them to use excessive force and shoot and kill unarmed, nonthreatening people the way they do, particularly Black people and other people of color. They are peace officers, remember?
Heywood Jablowme
@Prax07: You should look at all your $20 bills very closely! Then the cops won’t have to kill you if you try to pass a counterfeit one!
Cam
So if cops aren’t allowed to murder any unarmed person they want to, they might not show up the next time somebody’s throwing a loud party?
Weird how all other employees in all other jobs don’t need to be allowed to murder to get up and go to work.
Jay002
I am not here to attack anyone but people either keep forgetting or they just do not know. During slavery the only time Black people were allowed to socialize or come together was at the church. There weren’t any other social gatherings for Black people. This continued after slavery were Black people were not allowed outside their communities at night so the church and the local bar was all the cultural life many Black people had. Things have changed greatly in the Black community. Many Black celebrities have gay people around them all the time including in the hip hop world. Who makes them look good it is not a straight person. Almost all Black leaders recognize the gay community I heard John Lewis say many times before he died we must include rights for our gay and lesbian friends. Most people know including Black people that it is not acceptable to discriminate against anyone.
Jake123
Great but don’t let the government define this as job done America. Your country needs meaningful change and checks and balances that ensure this never happens again. As usual the world is watching!!
P.s. What Nancy Pelosi and Toni Lauren said today was truly disgusting!!
Heywood Jablowme
What did they say?
Jake123
Basically Pelosi thanked George Floyd for dying and Lauren tweeted that people are just using Floyds death to rob footlocker. I paraphrase but that’s the gist.
TomOH
Why was someone waving a trans flag at the end of the video? This incident had absolutely nothing to do with the transgender community. That was rather tactless to piggy back on this court case for media attention – especially considering Pride is coming up soon.
Cam
Because multiple black trans people have also been attacked or murdered?
Also, it’s cute how accounts keep coming on here and trying to push out phony divisiveness. If you saw the BLM gatherings in places like DC, there were tons of rainbow, trans, and other flags.
So go back to the drawing board.