TUCSON— Today, after a Minnesota jury found Derek Chauvin guilty of the murder of George Floyd, Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva issued the following statement:

“The murder of George Floyd was a horrific crime and stunning display of police brutality that forever changed our nation. After so many miscarriages of justice in the aftermath of senseless police killings, today’s guilty verdict was a long-awaited step in the right direction to holding police officers accountable. Although nothing can bring George Floyd back, I hope this guilty verdict provides some form of comfort to his grieving family. As the trial for the other officers involved in his murder proceeds, I hope that justice will be served once again.

“We must continue to ensure the movement his death inspired lives on in real, long-lasting transformations to policing and reforms to our criminal justice system. Despite this positive verdict, there remains an obvious need not just for police reform and accountability, but for addressing and ending the systemic racism deeply embedded in these systems. I will keep fighting in Congress to make it easier to punish bad police officers and begin the process of dismantling the racist policies that have flourished in police departments across the country. We cannot allow George Floyd’s death to be in vain.”

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