WASHINGTON –Today, former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted on all charges—second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter—in the death of George Floyd. Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum president and CEO Juliet K. Choi issued the following statement:
“Mr. George Floyd’s family and friends are in our hearts today. It has been almost a year since his senseless murder, the tragic loss of an innocent life, which sparked a global rally and a wave of community voices demanding justice, protection against police brutality, and the valuing and uplifting of Black lives. While former police officer Derek Chauvin was held accountable today by a jury of his peers for the murder of George Floyd, we know there are still too many instances of police brutality, too many Black lives lost.”
“Accountability from a single verdict in a single trial is not the same as justice. As evidenced by the recent killing of Daunte Wright, the fear that Black families face and experience interacting with police remains a frightening and cruel reality, a manifestation of systemic racism that must be rooted out. People of color deserve a world where they can live without fear of race-based violence, especially from the very institutions that were created to protect them.”
“As a civil society, we can and must come together, lean in together and seek national reform, end police brutality and reimagine a future where public safety and public trust coexist for communities of color. APIAHF stands in solidarity with our partners to demand for transformative, systemic change.”
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The Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF) influences policy, mobilizes communities and strengthens programs and organizations to improve the health of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.