Members of Gaston County s Black community say the guilty verdicts in the death of George Floyd may have occurred hundreds of miles away, but the decision in a Minnesota courtroom resonates not only in Gaston County, but across the country. It makes me feel like justice is working in America, said the Rev. Thomas Gillespie. You can t put your knee on someone s neck and choke the life out of them and blame it on drugs. George Floyd was not on trial, Chauvin was on trial.
Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty Tuesday on charges including second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. He awaits sentencing in eight weeks, where he could receive a prison sentence of between 12 years and 25 years.
Can You Handle The Truth: Comparing George Floyd, Rodney King Trials Shows Vastly Different Outcomes Listen Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
Rodney King squeezes past a crush of reporters and photographers after a news conference in Santa Ana, California on Thursday, June 2, 1994
AP Photo/Chris Martinez
Video and police abuse played key roles both in the trial of Derek Chauvin, who murdered George Floyd, and the one involving four Los Angeles police officers who beat Rodney King nearly three decades ago. But the outcomes were vastly different.
PolitiFact California reporter Chris Nichols spoke with anchor Mike Hagerty about the two cases in this week’s Can You Handle The Truth segment.
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Source: (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
During an interview with KARE 11 a juror for the trial of ex-Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, who ultimately found out she was an alternate, expressed concern about being called for the job because she didn t want to see rioting again and was scared people would show up at her home if they were unhappy with a particular verdict.
Raguse: Did you want to be a juror?
Christensen: I had mixed feelings. There was a question on the questionnaire about it and I put I did not know. The reason, at that time, was I did not know what the outcome was going to be, so I felt like either way you are going to disappoint one group or the other. I did not want to go through rioting and destruction again and I was concerned about people coming to my house if they were not happy with the verdict.
I want to remember the good things about Ma Khia : Mother of 16-year-old girl shot dead by Columbus cop breaks down and says she s always had sympathy for the family of Breonna Taylor and now she knows what it’s like to lose a child
Paula Bryant s daughter Ma Khia, 16, was shot and killed by police on Tuesday
Nicholas Reardon, with Columbus police department, is under investigation
Bryant said that she wanted the killing to stop
She described her daughter as a stellar student who was peaceful and loving
Breathe rally in Austin encourages action after Derek Chauvin verdict
Two days after former police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murdering George Floyd, racial equality advocates called on Austinites to keep taking action. Author: Mike Marut (KVUE) Updated: 10:26 PM CDT April 22, 2021
AUSTIN, Texas Just days after a jury found former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd, Austin Justice Coalition called on the community to continue making progress. It was one very small moment that the justice system seemed to be working, Chas Moore, who runs Austin Justice Coalition, said. I would challenge us to think a little bit more and beyond what happened on Tuesday, because at the same time that verdict was being read, a young lady in Columbus, Ohio, was shot.