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Christian Leaders React to Derek Chauvin Being Found Guilty on All Counts in the Murder of George Floyd

Christian Leaders React to Derek Chauvin Being Found Guilty on All Counts in the Murder of George Floyd

A jury has found Derek Chauvin guilty on all three counts of murdering George Floyd. It was the first time a white police officer was convicted of killing a Black man in the state of Minnesota.

It was a long awaited coda to Floyd’s life, who became an international symbol for the racial injustice Black men and women face in America, launching the largest civil rights movement in world history as “Black Lives Matter” became an anthem across the globe.

Now, with the jury’s verdict, the man who knelt on Floyd’s neck until he died will be a rare example of police being held accountable for their actions. Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the killing of Floyd, which was recorded by bystanders. Many of those bystanders were pleading for Chauvin to stop, and Floyd himself could be heard calling for his mother in his final minutes.

Across social media, Christian leaders and activists praised the decision of the jury for a rare example of justice. We will update this with more posts as they come.

Statement From the Evangelical Covenant Church:

“We must continue to speak up and practice solidarity. In Luke 10, an expert in the law famously asks Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” George Floyd was our neighbor, made in God’s image, and that image was violated when his life was violently taken. The sin that informs a legal system that works for some and against others is worthy of our lament and calls us forth as ambassadors of reconciliation. We all must name the sin of racism by speaking truth in love. Not doing so has led us to this perilous time.

“We must also not grow weary in standing in solidarity with those who have been wronged and treated unjustly. There is no quick or easy fix to heal our pandemic of racism. It will take time and every single one of us. This is a systemic problem, and we must continue to actively work–every day–to address it while working to reconcile relationships within disenfranchised communities. This is one of the most important discipleship issues before us. In this watershed moment, we pray that our sacrificial love for one another bears witness to who and whose we are. 

Statement from Rev. Sammy Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference

“Today’s decision has demonstrated yet again how far we have to go on our long march toward justice. The wounds of our past continue to bleed into our present reality and the tensions in American life — revealed by this terrible tragedy — have remind us that there will probably be another George Floyd and another Derek Chauvin. 

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