Gubernatorial candidates respond to Derek Chauvin’s guilty verdict (Resending to full list)

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Apr 21, 2021

Gubernatorial candidates respond to Derek Chauvin’s guilty verdict

A jury in Minnesota found Derek Chauvin, the police officer that was charged with murdering George Floyd last year, guilty on two murder charges as well as one manslaughter charge on Tuesday. Virginia’s gubernatorial candidates responded afterward, mostly in support of the verdict with the exception of one Republican.

“Watching George Floyd’s murder, I felt the same trauma my parents felt when they heard about Emmett Till,” Democratic hopeful Jennifer McClellan said in a statement Tuesday.

After Chauvin’s murder of Floyd was filmed and went viral on social media, a massive social justice movement swept the nation. Virginia saw a wave of new criminal justice reform laws get passed as well as the removal of confederate statues along Monument Avenue in Richmond. “While today’s guilty verdict is one step in a longer march toward justice, George Floyd should be alive today. George Floyd’s murder must remain a clarion call for continuing police and justice reform,” McClellan said.

The video showed Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nine minutes while he was handcuffed — Floyd could be heard pleading with the officer telling him that he couldn’t breathe before he lost consciousness and eventually died. “Today’s verdict will never bring George Floyd back into the arms of his family and loved ones,” said Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jennifer Carroll Foy. “We cannot forget that we will never get true, full justice, until we take action to change the system that took Mr. Floyd’s life, and impacted countless other Black Americans, like Lt. Caron Nazario and Donovan Lynch here in Virginia. Too many of us have been hurt and harmed when the cameras have been off or pointed away.”

Terry McAuliffe, the former governor that is now running again and holds a big lead in the Democratic primary polls agrees with his opponents that the system remains broken. “Today’s verdict delivers accountability, but this racist, broken system remains intact. The time to act is now. We need reform before even one more Black or Brown life is taken,” McAuliffe said in a statement Tuesday.

State Del. Kirk Cox, a Republican gubernatorial candidate for governor said that Chauvin was provided due process and that the rule of law should be valued. “Officer Chauvin was afforded due process and convicted today by an impartial jury,” Cox said in a statement Tuesday. “For me, that is a clear result of our judicial process, and it’s important to not only respect that outcome, but to defend it as the rightful result in a society that should value the rule of law.”

Chief Medaria Arradondo of the Minneapolis Police Department testified during the trial that Chauvin violated department policy when he knelt on Mr. Floyd for more than nine minutes. “Once Mr. Floyd had stopped resisting, and certainly once he was in distress and trying to verbalize that, that should have stopped,” Arradondo said during his testimony.

State Senator Amanda Chase, the Republican gubernatorial candidate that is most like Donald Trump struck a different tone from the other candidates when she said she is concerned about the Chauvin convictions. “I’m concerned that the decision was politically motivated more to prevent civil unrest than to serve justice,” she said in a statement Tuesday night. “The decision made today sends a clear message to law enforcement; the justice system doesn’t have your back. I’m concerned that across our great nation our second line of defense will resign because it’s simply not worth the personal price one now has to pay to serve in the line of duty.”

The campaigns for Pete Snyder, Glenn Youngkin, and Justin Fairfax did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday night.

Three other Minneapolis police officers, Tou Thao, Thomas Kiernan Lane, and J. Alexander Kueng responded last year with Chauvin to the call where he murdered Floyd. They still face charges of aiding and abetting Chauvin on two of his charges. “While Derek Chauvin slowly murdered a man over the course of 9 and a half minutes, a murder for which he has now been convicted, three other police officers provided security for him to do it without interruption,” Del. Lee Carter, a Democratic gubernatorial hopeful pointed out Tuesday night.

Philonise Floyd, George’s brother who visited the Robert E. Lee statue on Monument Ave. in Richmond last summer said he will find some relief in the verdict. “I feel relieved today that I finally have the opportunity for hopefully getting some sleep,” he said after the verdict was read.

In Washington, Chauvin guilty verdict is call to pass police reform measures

By JALEN WADE, JOY SAHA, JENNIFER MANDATO and CLARA LONGO DE FREITASCapital News Service Washington Bureau

After a jury on Tuesday found former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin guilty of murdering George Floyd, President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Democratic congressional leaders saw the verdict as a call to enact news laws against nationwide police brutality.

“Because of smartphones, so many Americans have now seen the racial injustice that black Americans have known for generations,” Harris said in a nationally televised address from the White House’s Cross Hall.

“Here’s the truth about racial injustice: it’s not just a Black America problem or a people of color problem,” Harris said before Biden spoke. “It is a problem of every American, it is keeping us from the promise of liberty and justice for all.”

Biden repeated Floyd’s last words, “I can’t breathe.”

“We can’t let those words die with him,” the president said. “We have to keep hearing those words. We must not turn away. We can’t turn away.”

”This can be a moment of significant change,” Biden said.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that “while the state’s prosecution was successful, I know that nothing can fill the void that the loved ones of George Floyd have felt since his death.”

He said the Justice Department’s civil rights probe into Floyd’s death “is ongoing,”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, said in a press conference from the Capitol that the verdict was a “step in the right direction.” Pelosi thanked the jury for validating what she and the world saw on tape.

While Republican state Senator Bill Stanley hasn’t endorsed in the gubernatorial race, he is hosting a meet and greet for Kirk Cox next week.

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Jennifer Carroll Foy’s gubernatorial campaign has been endorsed by the American Federation of Government Employees Council 1

“Jennifer Carroll Foy has taken on and won tough fights on behalf of working people across the Commonwealth of Virginia. From her critical work to raise the minimum wage to $15 dollars an hour, to sponsoring legislation to ensure federal workers had eviction relief during the federal government shutdown in 2019, Jennifer has proven herself as a true advocate for and ally of working people and their families,” said DeAndre Tyler, President of AFGE Council 1. “Jennifer is the leader we trust to deliver real progress, move Virginia forward, and make this a truly pro-worker state. Our Council is proud to endorse her candidacy for governor of Virginia.”

Mark Levine funnels big bucks into campaign for lieutenant governor - Sun Gazette (Inside NOVA)

You can’t say Del. Mark Levine isn’t putting his money where his mouth is, when it comes to his bid for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor. Levine on March 31 loaned his campaign $350,000 of personal funds, according to filings with the Virginia Department of Elections made public April 15.

Lieutenant Governor candidates respond to Chauvin’s conviction

Hala Ayala (D) - “First and foremost My heart goes out to Mr. Floyd’s family and the city of Minneapolis during what must be an incredibly challenging time. The world has been traumatized watching the killing of another black man. Healing this deep rooted trauma will not happen overnight. Although today’s decision is a step in the right direction, we have so much work to do to heal our nation and ensure everyone can feel safe in our neighborhoods and hold our police accountable. There is so much implicit bias and inequity within our institutions of justice and we must be willing to do the hard work and root out these racist policies. I look forward to continuing to build on the reforms our Commonwealth has passed and create a more just society here in Virginia.”

Sean Perryman (D) - “The verdict shows that a uniform doesn’t mean you can get away with murder. It’s sad that the bar is that low. Real justice for George Floyd is creating a new system where our lives aren’t in danger whenever we deal with cops. Real is justice is the end of policing that kills. We didn’t protest and march just for this guilty verdict. We protested and marched for a society where “public safety” doesn’t mean violence against Black lives—where there aren’t new victims to name each week. I’m running because a better world is possible.”

Andria McClellan (D) - “I am relieved to see this movement toward accountability today. Black and brown people should not live in fear of being harmed by police; yet that is a reality for far too many, and it’s up to us to bring that to an end. While this single decision does not bring back George Floyd, let alone undo the harm from centuries of racial inequities and police violence, I hope it signals a future with more transparency and accountability. It is incumbent upon us to address the systemic racism in our society and build a more just future for all. Black Lives Matter.”

Sam Rasoul (D) - “We knew it was murder when we saw the video. This was the right verdict, but justice would be George Floyd here today. Justice would be transforming the system that leads to these killings.”

Mark Levine (D) - “This time, for once, justice is served. Rest in peace, George Floyd. But we can never truly rest until the systemic racism that has long pervaded American history is rooted out in its entirety.”

There have not been any public statements from the Republican LG candidates.

Attorney General candidates respond to Chauvin’s conviction:

Mark Herring (D) - “George Floyd should still be alive, and while no verdict will bring him back to his family, these verdicts provide a measure of justice and accountability for a heartless and senseless murder. The world watched as Derek Chauvin put his knee on George Floyd’s neck – ending his life as he called out for his mother. This guilty verdict will hopefully be an inflection point that forces us all to recommit to building a society in which Black lives matter and all Americans can live without fearing the police or discrimination. To the hardworking prosecutors and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who were dedicated to getting this justice for George Floyd and his family – thank you for standing up and fighting for what is right. For too long, our country has had two different systems of justice – one for white Americans and one for Black Americans and Americans of color. And while today’s verdict shows that sometimes the system can work, too often Black and brown Americans are killed at the hands of police officers. We cannot continue in this way. We must truly commit ourselves to making our criminal justice system fair, equal, and just for every single person living in this country – not based on what you look like, what your job is, how much money you have, or where you live.”

Jay Jones (D) - "Millions of Americans bore witness to George Floyd’s murder last summer. When I watched it, I felt Derek Chauvin’s knee on my neck. Admittedly, I still feel the weight of the system’s oppression on me and the rest of Black America day in and day out. While I am in agreement with the jury that this is the correct verdict, it won’t bring George Floyd back or give his family proper closure, and it certainly won’t cure the pain Black Americans across the country felt when watching that video and countless others over the last few decades. This verdict won’t fix the systemic injustices in policing or the sense of impunity too many officers feel when interacting with Black Americans. To keep all of our communities safe and build a justice system that works for everyone, we must have true accountability for police misconduct. So the tough conversations continue, the work carries on, and we stand shoulder to shoulder, praying and marching toward the justice and equity that Black Americans richly deserve."

Richmond’s Commonwealth Attorney candidates respond to Chauvin’s conviction:

Colette McEachin(D) - “As I said on May 25th, 2020, the killing of George Floyd was nothing but simply murder, and the jury in Mr. Chauvin’s trial today found that to be the verdict.”

Tom Barbour (D) - “I pray that the family of George Floyd and others devastated by police violence find a measure of peace in today’s verdict. May this moment be a spark for justice beyond the courtroom. While this verdict holds Derek Chauvin accountable for George Floyd’s murder, it is only a small part of what justice must be. Justice is bigger than a jail cell – it starts well before the courtroom, and Derek Chauvin was dangerous long before he murdered George Floyd last summer. He should have been rooted out of the Minneapolis Police Department by his supervisors, by a local civilian review board, and by local prosecutors responsible for maintaining public safety and the rule of law. While serving as an officer in the United States Marine Corps in both Iraq and Afghanistan, I operated under explicit rules of engagement that limited use of force to proportionate responses to actual, hostile acts. I knew that if I violated those rules, I would be court-martialed and held accountable for my actions because I would be jeopardizing the larger security mission – likely resulting in my discharge from service and the end of my military career. Richmond’s criminal justice system requires similar clearly-defined public charging criteria for police use-of-force that will make unacceptable use of force explicit. We cannot have public safety without transparency in policing the police. Until law enforcement officers operate under transparent policies regarding use of force, we will not have a fair justice system that creates community-centered public safety.”

Virginia landowners urge FERC to require cancelled Atlantic Coast Pipeline to relinquish easements - Virginia Mercury

by Sarah Vogelsong

Several dozen landowners who granted easements to the developers of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline are asking federal regulators to require the pipeline to give up them up now that the project has been cancelled.

“I signed an easement agreement in October 2018 because I felt I had no choice,” wrote Judy Allen in comments filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission this April concerning two Bath County properties the pipeline was to traverse. “The current easement places an unwarranted burden on me and limits my ability to use the property as my sons and I desire.”

Legislative chorus: Democrats don't care about Southside Virginia - Martinsville Bulletin

by Bill Wyatt

The four Republican men who represent this region in the state legislature were steadfastly subdued at Tuesday’s annual post legislative update and blamed the state’s Democrats in Richmond for broadly neglecting Southside Virginia.

State Senator Bill Stanley (R-Rocky Mount) said he heard a Democrat from Northern Virginia in a committee meeting ask why the state should do anything for the southern half of Virginia when “there’s nothing going on down there.”

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Richmond Metro Area Posts Best-ever Marks for All Three Pollutant Measures

This year’s “State of the Air” report from the American Lung Association finds that the Richmond metro area (comprised of 13 counties and four independent cities) improved to its best performance for ozone smog and remained unchanged from last year’s best-ever results for both the short-term (daily) and the long-term (year-round) measures of fine particle pollution. The daily measure for particle pollution earned “A” grades for posting zero days high in this pollutant for the 9th consecutive year. For a 14th year in a row the year-round measure at worst matched the previous year’s best-ever result, and for an 11th year met the national air quality standard. See the full report, based on the three years of data from 2017 through 2019.

The worst grade in the metro area was Henrico County’s above average “B” for ozone smog, for which the metro area reached its best-ever result. “Though we applaud this progress, positive results in Richmond are not guaranteed in future years. The area must continue its work to protect the health of people at risk and the nearly 1.3 million residents in the metro area,” said American Lung Association Director of Environmental Health Kevin Stewart. “One day with unhealthy air is one day too many when air pollution levels are high enough to harm health. Even that one day can trigger asthma attacks, heart attacks and stroke, placing children, older adults, and people living with chronic lung and heart disease at particular risk. Ozone and particle pollution are the nation’s most harmful and widespread air pollutants, and both can be deadly. In addition, more exposure to particle pollution is linked to worse health outcomes from COVID-19, including more deaths.”

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