Obama says 'a jury did the right thing' after Derek Chauvin guilty verdict in George Floyd's death

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Obama says 'a jury did the right thing' after Derek Chauvin guilty verdict in George Floyd's death
With a tear running from his eye, President Barack Obama recalls the 20 first-graders killed in 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary School, while speaking in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016,AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais
  • Former President Obama expressed relief at Derek Chauvin being found guilty of murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd.
  • "Today, a jury did the right thing," he said in a statement.
  • Obama has called for policing reforms in the US.
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Former President Barack Obama on Tuesday expressed relief after ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd.

In a statement, Obama praised the verdict, while also voicing the thoughts of many who want to see criminal justice reforms in the US.

"Today, a jury did the right thing," he said on Twitter. "For almost a year, George Floyd's death under the knee of a police officer has reverberated around the world - inspiring murals and marches, sparking conversations in living rooms and new legislation. But a more basic question has always remained: would justice be done?"

He added: "In this case, at least, we have our answer. But if we're being honest with ourselves, we know that true justice is about much more than a single verdict in a single trial."

Obama went on to describe the tense experiences and prejudices that Black Americans endure when dealing with law enforcement.

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"True justice requires that we come to terms with the fact that Black Americans are treated differently, every day," he wrote. "It requires us to recognize that millions of our friends, family, and fellow citizens live in fear that their next encounter with law enforcement could be their last. And it requires us to do the sometimes thankless, often difficult, but always necessary work of making the America we know more like the America we believe in."

He also reaffirmed that the push for justice would not end with the conviction in Floyd's case.

"While today's verdict may have been a necessary step on the road to progress, it was far from a sufficient one," he wrote. "We cannot rest. We will need to follow through with the concrete reforms that will reduce and ultimately eliminate racial bias in our criminal justice system."

Obama expressed that he and former first lady Michelle Obama were thinking of the Floyd family, along with those who have never received justice.

"Michelle and I send our prayers to the Floyd family, and we stand with all those who are committed to guaranteeing every American the full measure of justice that George and so many others have been denied."

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Last week, Obama called for a full investigation in the police killing of Daunte Wright, a 20-year old Black man who was shot dead by police during a traffic stop in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center, not far from where Floyd was killed.

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