Leader of global Jewish human rights organization praises jury for holding former police officer accountable and vows to continue fight for true justice
“We are grateful that a jury of his peers convicted Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, for the murder of George Floyd, a Black man, on the streets of Minneapolis last year. While we are relieved that the jury held Chauvin, a white man, accountable for killing Floyd, we remain gravely concerned about the large number of Black and Brown people in the United States who are killed by law enforcement simply for living their lives. We view this guilty verdict and the accountability it achieved as a first step in reaching true justice — meaning a world in which no one is above or below the law.
“As Jews, a people which has faced millennia of hatred and genocide, we will not be silent until every person of every color, especially Black and Brown Americans, is guaranteed the right to live b’Shalom — in peace — with dignity and safety. As Jews who are deeply committed to pursuing justice, we will not be satisfied until Black and Brown Americans are no longer forced to fear for their lives each time they see or interact with a police officer. When our Black and Brown neighbors are treated with the full respect owed to every human being without exception, we will know that we are closer to living in a truly just society.
“May George Floyd’s memory continue to inspire the movement for racial justice, which we will continue to support until we live in a world free of racism, hate and intolerance. “
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