RAN Statement on Guilty Verdict in Derek Chauvin Trial

Today’s jury ruling in the police murder of George Floyd is historic. It provides rare and desperately needed accountability for a grieving nation traumatized from relentless acts of police violence perpetrated overwhelmingly against Black Americans and communities of color. But we know all too well that the conviction of one police officer does not bring justice to a country still in the grip of deeply rooted systemic racism. 

Police continue to murder Black and Brown people every day in America. And this conviction comes against a backdrop of Jim Crow, Republican-driven voter suppression laws in dozens of states around the country; an alarming spike in violent hate crimes, including multiple recent mass shootings; the passage of unconstitutional laws that criminalize basic acts of protest; and police violence against protests across the country. We know that real justice will require an actual reckoning with this country’s racist foundations and the systems of structural oppression that allow these atrocities to occur over and over again.

Rainforest Action Network stands with Black, Indigenous, and communities of color fighting the impacts of systemic racism around the US and the world. RAN stands with every community across America urgently calling for transformational change. This verdict does not change that. 

Real justice includes accountability for the murders of Adam Toledo, Daunte Wright, Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain and so many more. Real justice means an end to the murder of Black people with impunity. Real justice is an end to qualified immunity, defunding police, and investing in Black and Brown communities. Real justice is the rejection and repeal of Jim Crow voter suppression laws. Real justice is an end to state-sanctioned violence against protesters. Real justice is the end of toxic fossil fuel pipelines and projects built overwhelmingly in Black, Indigenous, and communities of color. Real justice is an end to systemic racism. We continue to fight for real justice.