[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 69 (Wednesday, April 21, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2089-S2090]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIAL OF DEREK CHAUVIN

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, yesterday, a jury of former police 
officer Derek Chauvin's peers determined that he was guilty of 
murdering George Floyd, confirming what was plain to the millions of 
Americans who watched his murder on video--9\1/2\ excruciating minutes 
that documented the senseless and unnecessary loss of one man's life in 
broad daylight.
  Our country was forever changed by the horrendous video of Derek 
Chauvin killing Mr. Floyd. His searing final words, screaming for air, 
calling for his mother, are etched in our memory. This guilty verdict 
serves as an official proclamation of what so many of us have known for 
nearly a year: George Floyd was murdered by an officer who was sworn to 
protect and to serve but who, obviously, didn't.
  The brutality of George Floyd's murder, yet another in a seemingly 
endless string of tragedies, sparked a summer of protest unlike any we 
have seen in American history, elevating a long-building movement for 
more justice in policing. Americans of every age, color, and creed took 
to the streets in peaceful protest--from Minneapolis to Maine and Los 
Angeles to Atlanta, and including in my own home city of New York. A 
community of global citizens would soon join them in protest. In 
foreign capitals--from Rome, Paris, and London to Amsterdam, Berlin, 
and Mexico City--the name George Floyd would echo through the public 
square. This was not only a fight for justice but a fight against the 
mistreatment, discrimination, and outright bigotry that Black men and 
women suffer at the hands of State power, not just here in America but 
around the globe.
  The death of George Floyd provoked such a reaction because folks in 
those

[[Page S2090]]

communities knew a George Floyd of their own. Names of friends and 
colleagues who were tragically killed or suffered the brutal sting of 
racism sprang to their tongues. They still do.
  Philando Castile, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Trayvon Martin, Eric 
Garner, Daniel Prude, Sandra Bland--each circumstance different, the 
underlying tragedy much the same. Their names, and countless others, 
serve as a reminder that a single verdict in a single trial will never 
be enough.
  It wasn't long ago that excessive force by police was never caught on 
iPhones or body cameras. It was out of sight and often beyond the reach 
of the law, which gave almost reflexive deference to police officers 
who were brought to trial, if they were ever brought to trial.
  So this was an important event for the American justice system. Not 
only were the events concerning George Floyd caught on camera, but the 
offending officer was tried and convicted in a court of law. Let it 
serve as the proper deterrent--a deterrent that should have existed 
long ago--to the kind of egregious misconduct that led to George 
Floyd's death.
  However, and most certainly, we should not mistake a guilty verdict 
in this case as evidence that the persistent problem of police 
misconduct has been solved or that the divide between law enforcement 
and so many of the communities they serve has been bridged. It has not.
  We must remain diligent in our efforts to bring meaningful change to 
police departments across the country, to reform practices and 
training, and the legal protections that grant too great a shield to 
police officers guilty of misconduct.
  We also must remain diligent in striving to root out the racial bias 
in our society: in our healthcare system, in jobs, in housing, in the 
economy, in the boardroom and at the ballot box, on our streets, and in 
our schools.
  This goes way beyond party or political faction. Racism strikes at 
the very core of this country. Justice--true justice--will not come 
until we finally banish the ancient poison of racism from the American 
soul.
  The Senate will continue that work as we strive to ensure that George 
Floyd's tragic death will not be in vain. We will not rest until the 
Senate passes strong legislation to end this systemic bias in law 
enforcement.

                          ____________________