Press Release
April 20, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Stefanie Lao,
[email protected] | 424.282.0922
OAKLAND, CA – The California Environmental Voters (EnviroVoters) released the following statement in response to the jury’s verdict, finding Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all charges for the murder of George Floyd last year.
Statement from the California Environmental Voters:
“The guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial provides a rare glimmer of hope that our criminal legal system is capable of delivering accountability for police violence. This is a small signal to every Black person, Indigenous person, AAPI person, Latinx person, and all people of color that their lives actually matter in this country. But dismantling White Supremacy and systemic racism as the foundation of our current policing and criminal legal system will take much, much more than one verdict. This verdict does not make a family whole, it does not erase the grief and trauma of generations of violence and murder and it is not justice—it is accountability. This comes after decades of struggle from leaders, organizers, and activists. Too many families, children, and friends have lost, and continue to lose, loved ones to police brutality.
Along with the recent New York State Supreme Court ruling in favor of Cariol Horne, a former police officer who was fired after stopping a colleague’s violent chokehold, this verdict illustrates that change is possible. Today, we can stand in the knowledge that documenting injustice and coming together for what is right, can make a difference in individual battles. However, the greater fight continues and must include immediate local, state, and federal policy changes like The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021.
Collectively, we must stay focused on accountability through sentencing in the weeks to come, for the hundreds of other murders at the hands of police in just the last year, and on passing the comprehensive policy change needed to deliver true public safety and justice for all.”
ABOUT CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL VOTERS
California Environmental Voters (formerly the California League of Conservation Voters) believes the climate crisis is here and this moment requires transformative change. California has the policy solutions to stop climate change but lacks the political will to do it at the rate and scale that’s necessary. EnviroVoters exists to build the political power to solve the climate crisis, advance justice, and create a roadmap for global action. We organize voters, elect and train candidates, and hold lawmakers accountable for bold policy change. We won’t stop until we have resilient, healthy, thriving communities, and a democracy and economy that is just and sustainable for all. Join us at www.envirovoters.org and on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. See more press releases.
