HOUSE LEADERS REACT TO CHAUVIN VERDICT

DENVER, CO– Speaker Alec Garnett, Black Democratic Legislative Caucus Chair Leslie Herod and Majority Leader Daneya Esgar today released the following statements after a jury found Derek Chauvin guilty on all three counts.

“Today George Floyd’s family, the Black community, and the nation as a whole were offered an important measure of closure as a jury found Derek Chauvin guilty on all counts of murdering George Floyd,” said Speaker Alec Garnett, D-Denver. “This is the right verdict – the only viable outcome of such a tragic and heartless injustice. Colorado has led the way on police accountability and integrity, and we still have work to do to ensure justice for every community in our state.”

“This verdict represents accountability. It is not justice. True justice would mean George Floyd was still with us today,” said Black Caucus Chair Leslie Herod, D-Denver. “That he could hold his loved ones and that the world never had to learn his name. True justice will come when we don’t have to hesitate every time we turn on the news in case another video of state sanctioned murder should flash upon our screen. I am Today, we stand together and say ‘no more’. We will bring change. We will advance justice. And we will not rest until we end the police brutality that is taking innocent Black and Brown lives in our communities and across our country.”

“Last year, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, Colorado led the nation in passing a bold, sweeping police accountability bill that moved us closer to justice in our communities,” said Representative Daneya Esgar, D-Pueblo. “Today, as we breathe a collective sigh of relief after the guilty verdict, we recommit ourselves to continuing to advance the cause of justice. We know that we have a great deal of work left to do, and I’m committed to ensuring that Colorado continues to lead the way.”