Analysis

5 Reactions To The Derek Chauvin Trial That Instantly Went Viral

"So again, thank you, George Floyd, for sacrificing your life for justice"

   DailyWire.com
WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 07: U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) speaks during a news conference at the East Front of the U.S. Capitol February 7, 2019 in Washington, DC. The freshmen congresswoman held a news conference to call on Congress "to cut funding for President Trump's deportation force." (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Alex Wong/Getty Images

A jury on Tuesday found former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all charges in the death of George Floyd. He was convicted of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.

Shortly after the announcement was made, politicians and political pundits hit the airwaves with their thoughts.

These are five of the most stunning takes thus far.

1. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) thanked George Floyd for “sacrificing” his “life for justice.”

“So again, thank you, George Floyd, for sacrificing your life for justice, for being there to call out to your mom,” Pelosi said during a press conference with the Congressional Black Caucus. “How heartbreaking was that, call out for your mom, ‘I can’t breathe’? Because of you and because of thousands, millions of people around the world, who came out for justice, your name will always be synonymous with justice.”

2. Courteney Ross, George Floyd’s girlfriend, thanked him for giving “his life” for others.

“I loved him with all my heart and I’d do anything to have him standing next to me,” Ross told a crowd. “But I know – I know – he gave his life so this could happen. And I know he gave his life so that other people’s cases can get reopened and we can reexamine the cases that were closed. We can get justice for people that deserve it.”

3. Fox News’ Greg Gutfeld said he was happy with the verdict for “selfish” reasons.

“And now I’m just going to get really selfish. I’m glad that he was found guilty on all charges, even if he might not be guilty of all charges,” Gutfeld said as his colleagues groaned. “I’m happy that he’s guilty of all charges because I want a verdict that keeps this country from going up in flames.”

When Judge Jeanine Pirro gasped, Gutfeld explained himself further.

“I’m at least being honest,” he replied. “My neighborhood was looted. I don’t ever want to go through that again.”

“We do not sacrifice individuals for the sake of how people feel,” Pirro said.

“I’m saying I’m glad about the verdict,” Gutfeld replied defensively.

3. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said the decision was “not justice” for a number of reasons.

“This is not justice. It’s not justice and I’ll explain to you why it’s not justice. It’s not justice because justice is George Floyd going home tonight to be with his family. Justice is Adam Toldeo getting tucked in by his mom tonight,” she explained.

“Justice is when you’re pulled over, there not being a gun that’s part of that interaction because you have a headlight out,” the congresswoman stated. “Justice is your school system not having or being part of a school-to-prison pipeline. Justice is a municipality and a government that does not – because it trickles down, right? – that does not value military and armaments more than it values health care and education and housing.”

4. MSNBC’s Jason Johnson is “not happy” with the verdict even though he agrees with it.

“I actually always thought that he would be found guilty because it’s sort of a cultural wake-up call but I’m not happy. I’m not pleased. I don’t have any sense of satisfaction. I don’t think this is the system working,” Johnson explained. “I don’t think this is a good thing.”

According to Johnson, there was a “long process” for Floyd to receive “one scintilla of justice,” including multiple other officer-involved shootings and a “year’s worth of protests.”

“It makes me upset all the more that we didn’t have this for Breonna Taylor. It makes me concerned about what’s going to happen in the trial for Ahmaud Arbery,” he said, throwing his hands in the air. “So no, this isn’t the system working. This is a make-up call. This is the justice system trying to say, ‘Hey, this is one bad apple.'”

5. On MSNBC, Eddie Glaude suggested Americans need to worry about police officers’ reaction to the verdict

“It’s a beginning, it’s not an end. And I’ve said before, justice is a practice, not an end,” Glaude explained. “And so we need to understand we’re in a moment of transition to change the very nature of policing.”

“… we have been preparing for the violence of protest. Now we need to prepare for the reaction of the police,” he said. “We were prepared for the protestors and what they might do if the verdict came down in a way that they were not satisfied. Now we need to be mindful of what it means that we’re seeing these tectonic plates shift in the very way in which policing is happening in the country.”

 

Beth Baumann is a Political Reporter and Editor at The Daily Wire. Follow her on Twitter @eb454.

Already have an account?

Got a tip worth investigating?

Your information could be the missing piece to an important story. Submit your tip today and make a difference.

Submit Tip
The Daily Wire   >  Read   >  5 Reactions To The Derek Chauvin Trial That Instantly Went Viral