Family of George Floyd reacts to guilty verdict in Chauvin trial

Nearly a dozen of George Floyd’s family members expressed gratitude for Tuesday’s conviction against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s death in May 2020.

Philonise Floyd, one of George Floyd’s brothers, said the family was grateful for the jury’s decisions, the vigilance of protesters and the tenacity and commitment of the family’s attorneys.

"It was a motion picture that the world saw as they extinguished his life, and I could do nothing but watch it over and over and over in court," Philonise Floyd said. "The times are getting harder every day and the whole world said the same thing to us ‘We won’t be able to breathe until you are able to breathe,’ and now, we are able to breathe again."

"Thank you all," he said. "Because justice for George means freedom for all."

Floyd’s youngest brother, Rodney, said the fight for social justice doesn’t stop now. He urged Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

"For George, the fight is not over. We are going to stand here together and get this George Floyd Act passed," Rodney Floyd said. "The act has to be passed, people. It has to pass. And we are going to keep fighting, and we will keep pressure on the Senate to pass it."

Terrance Floyd, another brother of George, called the verdict "monumental."

"(George) showed me how to be strong, he showed me how to be respectful, he showed me how to speak my mind," Terrance Floyd said. "I’m going to miss him, but now I know he’s in history."

The Rev. Al Sharpton, who gave the eulogy at George Floyd’s funeral, also spoke at the press conference. Sharpton echoed Rodney Floyd, saying even with the verdict, the fight for justice has to continue.

"We still have cases to fight, but this gives us the energy to fight on," Sharpton said.

The family said President Joe Biden contacted them after the verdict. They said the president told them one of his highest priorities is getting the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act passed.