Executive Constantine statement on Chauvin verdict:

Following the guilty verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin in Minnesota, King County Executive Dow Constantine issued the following statement:

"Today, a Minneapolis jury convicted former police officer Derek Chauvin of all charges – second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and manslaughter – for the killing of George Floyd last year.

"Mr. Floyd's death sparked outrage in our community, across the country, and around the world as bystander video went viral. The footage of the last minutes of Mr. Floyd's life was gut-wrenching, devastating, and impossible to ignore. Those with the privilege to disengage on issues of race, who had not previously had to pay attention, watched with shock and horror as former Officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into George Floyd’s neck, even after he had stopped moving and drew his final breath. Members of the Black community across this nation, as well as Indigenous people and other communities of color were also horrified but sadly, not surprised.

"We can, and should, hope that the jury verdict today will mark a shift – a break in a system poisoned by racism. Today's verdict can represent a major step toward a more racially just America, one where the state, and the agents of the state, seek to truly serve every person and all communities with dignity, respect, and care, and will speak up – even against their own colleagues – when they are wrong. The outcome of this trial illuminates for us all the importance of standing up against racism and bias, in policing and the entire justice system, and in all other systems in our society that disproportionately harm based on race.

"We are responsible for becoming the community and society we want to be. We must stand together against racism, hatred, and violence. We must work together to build a fair, racially just, and equitable society where the color of a person's skin does not determine life outcomes.

"We must do everything we can to make King County a safe, diverse, welcoming community where every person can thrive."

Seattle Mayor Jenny A. Durkan issued the following statement regarding the guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin trail:    

“The jurors and our system of justice have confirmed what we saw with our own eyes.  George Floyd was murdered and Derek Chauvin violated his most solemn duty to protect lives and uphold the law. The cruel and degrading murder of Mr. Floyd shook our nation but for too many Black Americans, his murder reflected an all too often reality of the deep and systemic impacts of racism in our country.  

“True justice demands that we admit, recognize and work to address those systemic inequities.  True justice would have meant that George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner and countless others never suffered this fate.  Although he should still be here today, jurors delivered justice for George Floyd’s friends, family, loved ones and the millions of Americans who mourned and marched for justice.”  

“Though this trial is over, and we await justice to be served at the time of sentencing, the work to dismantle institutional racism in our country has far to go. Just as John Lewis and others trying to cross a bridge in Selma decade ago galvanized a nation, the murder of George Floyd showed too clearly how much was left undone.  Just since this trial began,  Daunte Wright was stopped and died at the hands of police just mere miles from where Mr. Floyd himself was killed. We must demand better than this everywhere in our country.  

“Our country must acknowledge and work to dismantle the reality of institutional racism and its insidious impacts on all aspects of our society, including policing. Our country must work to ensure that the promise of America really is available to all Americans.  Our country must work to ensure true justice and access to education, employment, healthcare and prosperity. Every family deserves to build generational opportunity instead of intergenerational trauma or despair. We have made some systemic changes in Seattle including new alternatives in policing and historic investments in Black, Indigenous and people of color communities. That work will continue. 

“Our community has been through a lot of pain and grief in the last year. In the coming days, many in the community will peacefully come together to remember the life of Mr. Floyd, express themselves, and experience community with one another. As always, we will do all we can to protect the cherished right to assemble and express first amendment rights, but we will also make sure we maintain public safety, protect people, and protect the safety of every community.”  

King County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove is releasing the following statement concerning the guilty verdict announced in the trial of Derek Chauvin:

“Today a jury in Minneapolis convicted Derek Chauvin of killing George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for nine minutes and twenty-nine seconds. 

“Nine minutes and twenty-nine seconds of ignoring the pleas of Mr. Floyd that he could not breathe. 

“Nine minutes and twenty-nine seconds of disregarding the cries of concerned bystanders. 

“Nine minutes and twenty-nine seconds of dispassionately ignoring his duties as a police officer and his compassion as a man. 

“Sadly, this country has a history of oppression – a history of kneeling on the backs of our African-American community – and this must stop. 

We must raise each other up – not push each other down. 

“We must say enough is enough and never let another Black person be tortured by those who are meant to protect our society. 

“As your King County Councilmember, I will continue my work to root out institutional racism throughout our criminal justice system. This means continuing our efforts to: 

·demilitarize our police; 

·further restrict unnecessary use of force; 

·strengthen civilian oversight of the King County Sheriff’s Office including independent investigation authority and subpoena power; 

·improve the inquest process for families of police shooting victims; and 

·try to find savings in traditional police budgets to invest instead in community-based approaches proven effective at delivering justice and keeping us safe. 

Our nation can do better, and King County will lead the way.”

King County Council Chair Claudia Balducci issued the following statement Tuesday after the guilty verdict was announced in the Derek Chauvin trial in Minneapolis:

“It’s heartening to see our system can provide accountability for such a heart-wrenching event that sparked a historic movement for social change and justice.

“While this is a just and important verdict, it is just one action, in one case, that was decided with unusually compelling documentation of an exceptionally horrific act. We have so much more to do to realize true justice and equity in our nation. Here in King County, we will continue our work toward transforming policing and providing true public safety.”

Candidate for Mayor Bruce Harrell released the following statement after Derek Chauvin was convicted guilty of murder in the death of George Floyd:

"I share the relief of the nation, and especially the Black community, with the guilty verdicts in the murder of George Floyd. While Floyd's family will never recover from his loss, this is the beginning for advancing justice and accountability. We must use this moment to build further momentum for racial justice and overdue police accountability and reform. We must not let this moment pass without redoubling our commitment to equity and advancing the Black Lives Matter message and movement."

King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg released the following statement on the guilty verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin:

“The whole world witnessed the slow and deliberate killing of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer last year and today a jury delivered a just verdict holding the officer accountable for murder.  While the jury’s decision makes that label official, this is cannot be the end of the story.

The verdicts do not erase the pain this murder caused or fix the many other problems with policing in America.  This verdict is accountability, which is one facet of justice, but we have a lot of work to do as a nation before we achieve true social justice that benefits everyone.

Since George Floyd’s murder, dozens of other people of color have been killed by police. There are steps in the accountability process that must be fixed, here and across the nation. As prosecutors, we have a duty to help bring about those systemic changes.”