Demonstrators call for racial justice in downtown Medford on Saturday, June 6, 2020.
After the conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on Tuesday for the murder of George Floyd, leaders of Southern Oregon’s Black activist community reacted with a mixture of relief and hope that it will lead to broader change.
Keith Jenkins with the group SOBLACC or Southern Oregon Black Leaders, Activists and Community Coalition, says when the announcement came out that Chauvin was convicted on all three counts in Floyd’s murder, he was surprised, but that surprise soon turned to sadness.
“I mean, we saw it, we watched it happen,” he says, referring to cell phone video capturing Floyd’s death. “I shouldn’t be surprised that our court system finally got one right.”