DETROIT, MI (MPRN) Members of the Detroit-based protest movement that formed in the wake of George Floyd’s killing say Derek Chauvin’s murder conviction is a vindication of their cause.
Leaders from the protest movement called Detroit Will Breathe gathered with supporters in the snow in front of Detroit Police Headquarters just after the Chauvin verdict. They said the verdict shows the power of their movement, but it’s hardly the end point.
Nakia Wallace is a co-founder of Detroit Will Breathe.
“So today is certainly a victory for the movement and defense of Black and brown lives. Unfortunately, it falls short of freedom.”
The stark video footage of George Floyd s death, and its viral dissemination across news outlets and social media platforms, galvanized the nation on an entirely different level, sparking demonstrations in which leaders as diverse as the Rev. Al Sharpton and U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney expressed their common revulsion at Chauvin s brutality.
In Detroit, a new generation of activists took to the streets, demanding a comprehensive re-examination of policing in America s largest majority Black city. The protesters called out what they say is institutional racism and implicit bias in the criminal justice system, and demanded that lawmakers divert taxpayer dollars from military-grade armaments and surveillance technology to more holistic public safety strategies.
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Credit Morry Gash / Associated Press
Michigan organizers say the work is not done after a Minnesota jury returned a guilty verdict for Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd.
In Detroit, the group Detroit Will Breathe held a rally following the verdict. In Grand Rapids, organizers with Justice for Black Lives held a march. (Michigan Radio)
Western Michigan University President Edward Montgomery issued a statement saying in part
“We must do our part to continually elevate respect and human dignity to aid the march toward justice.”
Detroit Police Chief James Craig, who has had a contentious relationship with anti-police brutality protesters, says the jury got it right.