Dolan Law Firm applauds the courage of the jury in the case of the People v. Derek Chauvin in holding former Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin guilty of second degree murder while committing a felony, third degree murder, and second degree manslaughter. Communities around the globe, and within our office, breathed a sigh of relief to see Chauvin held accountable for a crime the world watched him commit on video countless times in the last 330 days.
We commend the witnesses who testified, particularly Darnella Frazier, who at 17-years-old, bravely documented the horrific incident unfolding. We can only hope that people around the country will continue to have the courage as Darnella did to do something when they see something wrong.
While this verdict is one step closer to holding Derek Chauvin accountable for the murder of George Floyd, justice has not been served. This verdict is about holding law enforcement accountable for their lethal excessive use of force.
“Yesterday’s verdict is not justice,” Dolan Law Firm Founder Chris Dolan stated, “George Floyd should be alive today. This righteous verdict is, unfortunately, an exception, not the norm. It shows that the only way to get justice and overcome the well polished, and often dishonest, defense strategy claiming that excessive, often deadly, force, was justified by the imminent threat of harm to officers making split-second decisions is to have nine minutes of video of a man being suffocated by an officer as he begs for his life and calls for his mother. Even then, as we saw in Chauvin’s trial, the police say that jurors should trust the officers’ lies and disregard what they see with their own eyes. This case shows the importance of bystanders becoming witnesses and preserving the truth through video. We reaffirm our commitment to end systemic racism and we will continue to fight alongside our Black brothers and sisters in the pursuit of justice every day.”
We stand in solidarity with George Floyd’s family, BIPOC communities around the world, and with the people of Minnesota.
