NC leaders react to Derek Chauvin’s murder conviction in the death of George Floyd
A jury’s decision to convict former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin of murder in the death of George Floyd brought swift praise from leaders in the Triangle and North Carolina.
Those who released statements or posted on social media celebrated the verdict. After a two-week trial, the Minnesota jury took less than a day to find that Chauvin was guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Morrisville Police Chief Patrice Andrews shared her thoughts almost as soon as the verdict was issued.
“Justice has been served,” tweeted Andrews, who is Black. “There is still more work to do but we now know that our voices are heard. History was made today!”
Raleigh City Council member Jonathan Melton was also quick with a tweet. “GUILTY,” Melton wrote. “As we all saw with our own eyes last year.”
Hillsborough Mayor Jennifer Weaver tweeted: “Our breath is so precious. George Floyd should still have his.”
Carrboro Mayor Lydia Lavelle said in an email: “The arc of the moral universe bent a little more toward justice today. Today’s verdict is the proper response to the horrific murder of George Floyd last year. His death sparked a movement greater than ever before, one that has the potential to dismantle systemic racism across this country. ... Let this be the legacy of George Floyd.”
Christoppher Stackhouse Sr., who delivered the eulogy at George Floyd’s funeral service in North Carolina, said the ruling showed “we are progressing morally as a nation.”
“Today, we breathe a sigh of relief, because it was confirmed that Black lives matter,” Stackhouse, pastor of Lewis Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in Fayetteville, said in an interview. “And let that rest on your heart for a moment: that racism is so ingrained in America that Black people are breathing a sigh of relief just to know that, wow, Black life really does matter.”
Chantal Stevens, executive director of the ACLU of North Carolina, called the verdict “a rare act of police accountability.”
“We must recognize that the murder of a Black man by the hands of a police officer was not an isolated incident,” Stevens said in a written statement. “Until we address systemic problems that lead to police abuse of power, disparate treatment, and excessive force against Black and Brown communities, what happened in Minneapolis could just as easily happen in Mooresville or Mebane.”
Shelia Alamin-Khashoggi, chair of Raleigh’s police advisory board, called the verdict a first step toward lasting change.
“We are glad for the victory; we are glad for the jury, but we have a long road ahead toward changing policy in our city,” Alamin-Khashoggi said. “We are hoping that we can move forward from here and be able to change some of those policies that affect our Black and brown communities.”
Durham leaders expressed gratitude and relief about the verdict.
“Justice was served. Everybody in America who saw that video knew that it was cold blooded murder,” Mayor Steve Schewel said in an interview. “And thank God, the jury saw it the same way.”
Durham City Council member Mark-Anthony Middleton said he began to weep as he heard the news on his car radio. “I hope this puts those criminals that are hiding behind the badge on notice,” Middleton said in an interview.
Brenda Howerton, chair of the Durham County Board of Commissioners, said she felt ecstatic. “I’m just very relieved that they found him guilty,” Howerton said.
Renee Price, head of the Orange County Board of Commissioners, said she was left wondering if the verdict was enough after 400 years of discrimination and oppression against people of color. Price, who is Black and the daughter of a police officer, expressed respect for law enforcement but also noted that many officers still think a badge and gun “give them more power over other people.”
“We witnessed justice, yet George Floyd is still dead,” Price said. “It’s not bringing him back to life, and the sad thing is while we were all awaiting the verdict in this trial, more Black people have been killed — Daunte Wright, and we finally see the video of Adam Toledo, 13 years old.”
Dawna Jones, president of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP, was in a Zoom meeting with other elected and community leaders when the verdict came in.
“I wish I felt relief, but I don’t,” Jones said. “I feel still angsty and overwhelmed, and I feel like there’s nothing that could really be justice in a case like this. But I do at least appreciate that the jury understood what we all saw, what his family members saw in that video. So many times before, we have seen juries go the other way even with the same type of evidence, so there is some sense of justice in that.”
Jessica Holmes, former Wake County commissioner and state Department of Labor candidate, used the verdict to draw attention to the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a civil rights and police reform bill that Democrats have introduced in Congress.
“Racism permeates throughout our criminal justice system and has resulted in disproportionate incarceration rates and deaths of black and brown people,” Holmes wrote in a text message. “The guilty verdict takes the knee off of our necks, but systemic changes such as the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act must be passed before we can truly breathe. We have justice but no joy regarding the state of racism, discrimination, and injustice tearing our country apart.”
N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore, a Republican, issued a statement that said the jury had spoken.
“The criminal justice system worked and former Officer Chauvin has been convicted,” Moore wrote. “I pray for peace for the victim’s family and that we all take this opportunity to come together as a nation and not allow ourselves to be divided.”
Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper tweeted that he appreciated the “jury’s work for justice. George Floyd’s death shouldn’t have happened, and we must continue to work to bring positive change to our state and country.”
State Attorney General Josh Stein, a Democrat, used the verdict to repeat his call for a statewide ban on chokeholds by police and a requirement that law enforcement officers intervene when they see a fellow officer using excessive force.
“I share in the relief that so many people are feeling today because George Floyd and his family got a measure of accountability,” Stein wrote in a statement. “We cannot forget Mr. Floyd. The best way to remember him is to do everything we can to make sure that an incident like this doesn’t happen again.”
UNC-Chapel Hill leaders sent out a statement saying they “share in the pain, frustration and outrage over the abhorrent violence against African American and Black people who have been tragically killed by law enforcement.” They also provided information about campus events and resources for students, employees and the community members looking for support, starting with a virtual Black Community Convening Wednesday.
“We stand in solidarity with our students, faculty and staff in working to end racial injustice,” said Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz, Provost Bob Blouin and Sibby Anderson-Thompkins, an equity and inclusion adviser and interim chief diversity officer at UNC-CH.
Duke University President Vincent Price said in a statement that Chauvin’s murder conviction “comes as we are reeling from seemingly constant and painful news like that of the killings of Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center and Adam Toledo in Chicago.”
Price said Duke leaders “recognize that this is a deeply painful and traumatic time” and the university is offering counseling and other support services for the Duke community. He said Duke will also continue to seek racial justice on campus through its research and teaching and in the community.
N.C. State University Chancellor Randy Woodson said while many were relieved about the guilty verdicts, the university’s leaders recognize that “many members of our NC State community also remain exhausted, angry and uncertain.”
“We know this is painful and difficult, most especially for our BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) students, faculty, staff and alumni,” Woodson wrote on the university’s website. “We also realize there is nothing we can write or say that will take those feelings away, but please know that N.C. State cares about you, stands in solidarity with you and is committed to supporting you.”
Hunter Boehme, assistant professor of criminal justice at N.C. Central University, said he had been most concerned about whether the jury would find Chauvin guilty of the second-degree murder charge.
“I think the nine minutes is what proved that,” Boehme said in an interview. “He had time to think about the potential harm he could’ve done.”
Boehme, who focuses on police use of excessive force and police community relations, said after hearing the verdict he immediately thought about how Floyd is not going home tonight and that he hopes this is one step toward holding acts like Chauvin’s accountable.
Before the verdict was broadcast shortly after 5 p.m., some Triangle leaders voiced concerns about how the public might react. Speaking at the end of a City Council meeting, Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said:
“I want everyone to know we have been busy. We assembled a team of key operating departments to work in close collaboration with the Raleigh Police Department to monitor this evolving situation. I would also like to ask that anyone who plans to demonstrate in our city please come in peace and I hope that we can all pray together for that.”
Wake County Sheriff Gerald Baker voiced similar concerns.
“Everyone is making operation plans to keep some of those bad things from happening and provide a safe atmosphere for protesters and marchers,” Baker said. “We are trying to get ahead of things to make sure people are safe.”
Staff writers Anna Johnson, Ashad Hajela, Tyler Dukes, Tammy Grubb, Kate Murphy, Mark Schultz, Charlie Innis and Jordan Schrader contributed.
This story was originally published April 20, 2021 at 5:47 PM.
