Despite the conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin of the murder of George Floyd, Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.) believes there is still work to be done.
âWe are thankful that justice prevailed but we also, I hope, understand that we still have a lot of work to do,â Demings said during Wednesdayâs appearance on CNN.
Host John Berman noted President Joe Bidensaid the verdict âcan be a moment of significant change.â
Demings replied, âThe bottom line is it is a moment of significant change. Itâs something we have seen before in this country. ⌠We are not the America that we should be, but I think yesterday signifies that we are moving in the right direction to become the America that we were created to be.â
Reiterating it âis a turning point,â Demings stressed, âI believe it is incumbent on all of us in our respective places to keep the wheels of justice turning.â
She added, âWe have the George Floyd Justice and Policing Act ⌠that has passed the House. Is it perfect? Of course not, but I do believe it is a major step in the right direction.â
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Demings claimed the Senate has an opportunity to help the nation âbecome the America that we were created to beâ and pass the legislation.
On Tuesday, a jury convicted Chauvin of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree âdepraved mindâ murder, and second-degree manslaughter charges.
The president said while delivering remarks on Tuesday that the verdict âcan be a giant step forward in the march toward justice in America.â
He added, âWe can and we must do more to reduce the likelihood that tragedies like this will ever happen and occur again â to ensure that Black and brown people or anyone, so they donât fear the interactions with law enforcement, that they donât have to wake up knowing that they can lose their very life in the course of just living their life.â
