After Derek Chauvin was found guilty of the murder of George Floyd, stars like Mariah Carey and Katy Perry took to social media to speak out about the long-awaited verdict.
Stars like Mariah Carey and Jada Pinkett-Smith are speaking out after Derek Chauvin was found guilty of the murder of George Floyd. The jury announced the verdict on April 20, and the terminated Minneapolis police officer was found guilty of all three of his charges: second degree murder, third degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Immediately after the verdict was announced, Ciara was one of the first celebrities to celebrate the verdict with a tweet that read, “Thank you Jesus! I’m in tears. May your legacy live on forever #GeorgeFloyd.”
Mariah Carey joined the online celebration by tweeting, “Hallelujah!!!!!!!!” Meanwhile, Jada Pinkett Smith tweeted, “Come thru Justice!” Alyssa Milano also took to social media to tweet, “FOUND GUILTY ON ALL THREE CHARGES. Rest In Peace, George Floyd. You have changed the world. #verdict.”
Even more celebrities reacted to the verdict. Captain America star Chris Evans tweeted, “Justice. Sending love to George Floyd’s family and friends,” while pop star Katy Perry posted, “rest in JUSTICE George Floyd.” The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Garcelle Beauvais also shared a message about justice on her Instagram page: “Justice for Black America is justice for All America.” Beyoncé‘s mother, Tina Knowles, wrote about justice as well in an Instagram message: “Justice is served! All three counts!!! Praise the Lord!!! Just the Beginning!!! If bad Police faced jail for killing unarmed people , or breaking the law and abusing people they would not do these things. I am not saying under any circumstance that there are not police officers that really try to protect and serve . And I must say that the police that told the truth in this trial and did not protect Derick Chauvin . I commend them and pray that it is the beginning of change.”
Talk show personalities also made sure to chime in. The Talk host Elaine Welteroth tweeted, “GUILTY OF ALL CHARGES #ChauvinTrial,” while The View host Meghan McCain wrote, “May justice heal our nation.”
A post shared by Garcelle Beauvais (@garcelle)
Politicians also joined the conversation on Twitter after the verdict was announced. Former First Lady Hillary Clinton tweeted, “George Floyd’s family and community deserved for his killer to be held accountable. Today, they got that accountability. Always and forever, Black lives matter.” And Kamala Harris‘s niece, Ambitious Girl author Meena Harris, tweeted, “Rest in power, George Floyd.”
While the verdict was celebrated, stars also reminded people of the grim reality the country faces as the fight against systematic racism continues. Renown poet Amanda Gorman, who recited a poem at Joe Biden‘s inauguration, tweeted, “A reminder that victory would be George Floyd being alive. Every day Black Americans worry if they will be next is another day without justice.” Orange is the New Black star Danielle Brooks also called attention to this ongoing fight by posting an Instagram message that read, “One small step in the right direction. Thank you jurors for doing the right thing. #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd.”
Chauvin was convicted on April 20 after a lengthy trial and deliberation by the jury. The verdict comes almost a year since Floyd, an unarmed Black man in Chauvin’s custody, died after the police officer pinned him to the ground by his neck for nearly 10 minutes. The prosecution argued for weeks that Chauvin’s actions on May 25, 2020, were a “substantial causal factor” in Floyd’s death. Defense told a very different story, dragging Floyd’s character and insisting that his death could be attributed to different reasons, including a heart condition.
However, Dr. Martin Tobin, a pulmonologist and expert in the science of breathing, told the court that Floyd’s cause of death was due to a lack of oxygen. “A healthy person subjected to what Mr. Floyd was subjected to would have died,” Tobin told jurors. Prosecutors played bystanders’ footage of the final moments of Floyd’s life, showing him begging Chauvin to get off his neck, clearly saying, “I can’t breathe” and calling out for his mother.
Despite knowing that Floyd, 46, couldn’t breathe, Chauvin ignored bystanders’ pleas to release him and didn’t relent until he fell unconscious. George Floyd died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.
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