After ten hours of deliberation, a verdict has been reached in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Entering trial, Chauvin faced the following charges: second-degree murder, second-degree manslaughter and third-degree manslaughter. A jury of 12 Minnesota residents found Chauvin
Chauvin was hit with these three charges last summer after he was captured on video kneeling on the neck of George Floyd. Shortly after the encounter, Floyd was pronounced dead and protests erupted from coast to coast. In fact, there were multiple days when protests were documented in all 50 states. Not to mention, protesters honoring the life of Floyd, Breonna Taylor and several others took the streets in major cities like London and Toronto.
Nearly a year into the fallout of Floyd's death, a number of public figures have offered their thoughts on this moment in American history. Notably, former President Barack Obama shared his thoughts on Floyd's life and untimely death.
“Very rarely, though, did you see it so viscerally and over a stretch of time where the humanity of the victim is so apparent, the pain and the vulnerability of someone so clear. And it was, I think, a moment in which America for a brief moment came face to face with a reality that African Americans in this country I think had understood for quite some time," Obama said back in November.
Now, a verdict has been reached and more public leaders have offered their thoughts. From athletes to lawmakers, there are few times quite like right now where the entire nation stops to talk about the same exact thing.
Derek Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and third-degree manslaughter. He now faces up to 40 years in prison when he is sentenced. Until he is sentenced, he will be held in jail without bail.
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