Biden Speaks After Chauvin Trial Verdict: Systemic Racism Is ‘A Stain on Our Nation’s Soul’
President Joe Biden spoke Tuesday night after Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murdering George Floyd, saying, “The guilty verdict does not bring back George. But through the family’s pain, they’re finding purpose so George’s legacy will not be just about his death, but about what we must do in his memory.”
Biden spoke after Vice President Kamala Harris, who called for the Senate to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. The president echoed those remarks and said he told Floyd’s family they will continue fighting for its passage.
“It was a murder in the full light of day and it ripped the blinders off for the whole world to see the systemic racism the vice president just referred to,” the president said, calling systemic racism “a stain on our nation’s soul.”
He talked about the protests that occurred in the wake of Floyd’s murder and said, “Today’s verdict is a step forward,” but acknowledged it’s “much too rare.”
“For so many people, it seems like it took a unique and extraordinary convergence of factors. A brave young woman with a smartphone camera, a crowd that was traumatized, traumatized witnesses. A murder that lasts almost ten minutes in broad daylight for ultimately the whole world to see. Officers standing up and testifying against a fellow officer instead of you closing ranks, which should be commended. A jury who heard the evidence, carried out their civic duty, in the midst of an extraordinary moment.”
He talked about the fears people of color feel on a daily basis and said the verdict affirms that no one, even police officers, is above the law.
“In order to deliver real change and reform, we can and we must do more to reduce the likelihood that tragedy like this will ever happen or occur again. To ensure that Black and brown people or anyone so they don’t fear the interactions with law enforcement, that they don’t have to wake up knowing that they can lose their very life in the course of just living their life,” Biden added.
“I can’t breathe. Those are George Floyd’s last words. We can’t let those words die with him. We have to keep hearing those words. We must not turn away. We can’t turn away. We have a chance to begin to change the trajectory in this country. It’s my hope and prayer that we live up to the legacy.”
You can watch above, via MSNBC.
