Justice and relief.
That was the message from metro Detroit and Michigan after the jury s guilty verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin, a white former Minneapolis police officer who was charged with murder in the death of George Floyd, a Black man.
A flood of reactions, from pastors, police and politicians, expressed sadness, condolences and hope. They offered their views on why America watched the trial so closely and what needs to happen to prevent other tragedies like it. Justice won, said the Rev. Charles Williams II, the pastor of Historic King Solomon Baptist Church of Detroit and the head of the Michigan chapter of the National Action Network, led by Rev. Al Sharpton. We are relieved that Derek Chauvin will have to pay for his crime against a human.
Protest held against GOP s proposed election integrity bills in Lansing
By Charlie Langton and David Komer online producer
Published
Lansing protest held against voter integrity bills claimed to be suppression
A rally was held on the steps of the capitol in Lansing protesting over the introduction of 39 bills designed to promote election integrity - but not in the eyes of this group.
Voter suppression, said Janice Winfrey, Detroit city clerk.
The 39 bills would prevent unsolicited voter applications by mail, restrict drop boxes, and require voter IDs for absentee ballots. Out of 170 million votes, folks would like you to believe that there were some shenanigans, said Warren Evans, Wayne County executive.
Michigan reacts to guilty verdicts of former officer Derek Chauvin trial: Justice won msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Detroit community leaders and Michigan criminal justice experts hailed the Tuesday guilty verdicts against former Minneapolis police officer DerekA Chauvin in the death of George Floyd, but some said it didn t lessen the urgent need for police reform in the United States.
A jury deliberated less than day and found Chauvin guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. It followed the playing in court of a 9-minute video showing Chauvin kneeling on Floyd s neck last May. Justice won, the Rev. Charles Williams II said Tuesday.
“But we must ask ourselves the question. How long must we continue to watch these cases of police brutality on our social media feeds?, he asked.
With hopes for the end of the coronavirus pandemic beginning to rise, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan has one clear priority in the city s reopening: the criminal justice system.
Despite a 30% decrease in annual city homicides from 2012 to 2019, Detroit followed a national trend with a 20% increase in homicides in 2020, from 275 in 2019 to 327 last year. This is largely due to the decrease of services in the city s criminal justice system because of COVID-19, Duggan said during his annual State of the City address Tuesday evening. I want to be clear for everybody out there committing gun crime, Duggan said. The court system may be stopped today, but the charges aren t stopping.