Biden, Harris call to George Floyd's family post Derek Chauvin conviction
Apr 21, 2021
Washington [US], April 21 : US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday (local time) spoke to the family of George Floyd after a jury found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of the African-American's death.
"We're all so relieved, not just one verdict but all three. Guilty on all three counts. It's really important," The Hill quoted Biden as saying. He said that "I'm anxious to see you guys. We're going to get a lot more done. We're going to do a lot. We're going to stay at it until we get it done".
The 12 jurors found Chauvin guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd's death in May 2020.
The former officer was charged with killing Floyd by kneeling on his neck for more than nine minutes, which was captured on video footage in May 2020 and triggered nationwide demonstrations for racial justice.
Biden told the family he had been watching the verdict come in alongside senior adviser Cedric Richmond and Harris.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents the Floyd family, expressed optimism that the outcome of the trial could spur action on the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Biden said he would fly the family out to Washington DC, on Air Force One for the occasion, The Hill reported.
Harris praised the Floyd family as "real leaders" at a pivotal moment in history.
"In George's name and memory we are going to make sure his legacy is intact and that history will look back at this moment," The Hill quoted Harris as saying. "But we really do believe that with your leadership and the President that we have in the White House that we're going to make something good come out of this tragedy."
