‘Squad’ Dems say Chauvin guilty verdict is not enough, call for systemic change including defunding police

‘Squad’ Dems say Chauvin guilty verdict is not enough, call for systemic change including defunding police
AP Photo/Seth Wenig
Remove Ads

Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez claimed on Tuesday that the conviction of former police officer Derek Chauvin of all counts in the murder trial of George Floyd did not constitute “justice.”

Chauvin was convicted on a manslaughter charge and two murder charges in the death of Floyd in May last year, and now faces up to 75 years in prison. 

“This verdict is not justice,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a video. “Frankly, I don’t even think we call it full accountability because there are multiple officers that were there. It wasn’t just Derek Chauvin. And I also don’t want this moment to be framed as this system working because it’s not working, and that’s what creates a lot of complexity in this moment.”

Ocasio-Cortez was joined in her sentiments by other far-left members of Congress. 

Rep. Cori Bush stated that the conviction was “accountability” but “it’s not yet justice.” 

“We’ve known Chauvin was guilty since the second we saw him murder George Floyd on film — but we also know of the racism inherent in our carceral and policing systems,” Rep. Jamaal Bowman said in a Twitter post. “This verdict doesn’t change that racism, or the work ahead needed to transform those systems to serve us.”

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who last week called for the abolishment of policing and prisons, stated that the conviction was “accountability” but that the “fight for justice continues.”

“This verdict is relief & accountability for the murder of George Floyd,” she said. “But the fight for justice continues. Justice would be Gianna having her father today. Justice is investing in our communities, not police. Justice is no more Black lives lost to police violence.”

Rep. Ilhan Omar tweeted out a list of radical left-wing agenda items that the far-left of the Democratic Party is pushing for, stating that Chauvin’s conviction was “but a minuscule step on the path to justice.”

Omar listed the following items:

  • Independent agency to investigate police misuse of force
  • Criminalize violence against protesters
  • Demilitarize police departments
  • Disband and deconstruct failed police departments
  • End traffic stops for minor equipment violations
  • Federal investigations into departments who utilize practices like arrest quotas
  • End the school-to-prison pipeline
  • Ban all racial profiling by federal, state, and local agencies
  • Legalize recreational cannabis nationwide, expunge the records and seek amnesty for those incarcerated for cannabis-related offenses
  • Restore felon voting rights
  • Ensure that formerly incarcerated individuals are fully supported in their transition back to society
  • End mandatory minimum sentencing laws for low-level offenses
  • Invest in a public-health approach to the addiction crisis

Police American politics Democratic Party Black Lives Matter
Remove Ads
Remove Ads
TDF Student Journalism Conference 2024

2024 Student Journalism Conference

Applications are now open for The Democracy Fund's third annual Student Journalism Conference. This is a one-of-a-kind, all-expenses-paid opportunity for young aspiring journalists in Canada!

TDF Student Journalism Conference 2024

Don't Get Censored

Big Tech is censoring us. Sign up so we can always stay in touch.

Subscribe via RSS
Remove Ads

Don't Get Censored

Big Tech is censoring us. Sign up so we can always stay in touch.