Hudson Valley community leaders expressed relief as the verdicts came in shortly after 5 p.m. Tuesday: guilty of second-degree murder; guilty of third-degree murder; guilty of second-degree manslaughter.
But all made clear that the conviction of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin in the May 25, 2020 killing of George Floyd was just one step in a long path that could lead to social justice.
Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard was overcome with emotion Tuesday evening. She said justice was served because Chauvin’s actions displayed a “reckless disregard for human life."
The verdict provides an “inkling of hope,” Patterson-Howard said, but is not vindication for all the other lives lost at the hands of police officers.