You turn to us for voices you won't hear anywhere else.

Sign up for Democracy Now!'s Daily Digest to get our latest headlines and stories delivered to your inbox every day.

Judge Sentences Ex-Cop Derek Chauvin to 22.5 Years in Prison for Murdering George Floyd

HeadlineJun 28, 2021

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22-and-a-half years in prison for the murder of George Floyd. He is expected to serve just 15 years of that sentence. His lawyers are also expected to appeal his April conviction. Lawyers for Floyd’s family and Minnesota’s attorney general said that while the sentence does not serve justice, it provides some accountability for Floyd’s murder. Floyd’s family said the sentence was too light, but they are looking toward the federal civil rights indictment. This is his brother, Rodney Floyd.

Rodney Floyd: “This right here is — this 22-year sentence they gave this man, it’s a slap on the wrist. We’re serving life sentences not having him in our life.”

In related news, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet is calling on states in North America, Europe and Latin America to take steps to dismantle racism and to “confront past legacies and deliver redress,” as her agency released a report outlining the systemic nature of racism against people of African descent.

The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org. Some of the work(s) that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. For further information or additional permissions, contact us.

Non-commercial news needs your support

We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work.
Please do your part today.
Make a donation
Top