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Killer Cop sentence: Biden, Obama react

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President Joe Biden and and former President Barack Obama on Tuesday reacted to the guilty verdict handed down on former police officer, Derek Chauvin for the killing a 48-year black, George Floyd.

While President Biden called the family of the late George and called the guilty verdict “some justice, Obama, in a statement said, “justice is closer”.

“Nothing is going to make it all better,” Biden said. “At least God, now there’s some justice”, said President Biden.

He disclosed that he and his Vice President Kamala Harris have been watching the trial.

“We’re all so relieved,” he said, adding, “Guilty on all three counts.”

“It’s really important,” he added.

He promised further changes, saying: “We’re going to get a lot more done. We’re going to do a lot.”

Vice President Kamala Harris then spoke of the family’s “courage” and “strength.”

“This is a day of justice in America,” Harris told Floyd’s family over the phone.

She told the family they’ve been “real leaders at this moment where we needed you.”

“In George’s name and memory we’re going to make sure that his legacy is intact and that history will look back at this moment and know that… he had to sacrifice so much, your family did too.”

“We really do believe that with your leadership and with the president we have in the White House that we’re going to make something good come out of this tragedy.”

Barack Obama

In a statement he released just after the verdict, Obama said: “For almost a year, George Floyd’s death under the knee of a police officer has reverberated around the world — inspiring murals and marches, sparking conversations in living rooms and new legislation. But a more basic question has always remained: would justice be done?

“In this case, at least, we have our answer. But if we’re being honest with ourselves, we know that true justice is about much more than a single verdict in a single trial.

“True justice requires that we come to terms with the fact that Black Americans are treated differently, every day. It requires us to recognize that millions of our friends, family, and fellow citizens live in fear that their next encounter with law enforcement could be their last. And it requires us to do the sometimes thankless, often difficult, but always necessary work of making America we know more like America we believe in.

“While today’s verdict may have been a necessary step on the road to progress, it was far from a sufficient one. We cannot rest. We will need to follow through with the concrete reforms that will reduce and ultimately eliminate racial bias in our criminal justice system. We will need to redouble efforts to expand economic opportunity for those communities that have been too long marginalized.

“And as we continue the fight, we can draw strength from the millions of people — especially young people — who have marched and protested and spoken up over the last year, shining a light on inequity and calling for change. Justice is closer today not simply because of this verdict, but because of their work.

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