Oregonians expressed a mix of relief and caution Tuesday, as jurors found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all counts for his role in the death of George Floyd, a Black man whose death under Chauvin鈥檚 knee in 2020 prompted months of protests across the country.
After , jurors returned their verdict Tuesday.
Minnesota Judge Peter Cahill thanked the jurors for their 鈥渉eavy duty鈥� service on the case, and remanded Chauvin, 45, to jail following the convictions.
Chauvin was convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. He faces up to 40 years in prison. The charges asserted that his actions were a significant factor in Floyd鈥檚 death.
A small crowd gathered outside the Multnomah County Justice Center in downtown Portland chanted George Floyd鈥檚 name and celebrated as the verdict was read.
Across Oregon, civil rights advocates reacted with cautious elation.
鈥淚t feels like for years, I have dealt with this guillotine on my lungs when it comes to all of the lives that we鈥檝e lost,鈥� said Cameron Whitten, the founder and CEO of the advocacy group Brown Hope. 鈥淎nd to have heard that verdict just now, it is a breath of air. I am in awe that we finally, as a country, can see some justice in places where justice has never existed before.鈥�
Whitten contrasted Tuesday鈥檚 guilty verdict with the 2014 killing of Eric Garner by New York Police Department officer Daniel Pantaleo. In that case, a grand jury deliberated for two months before deciding not to indict Pantaleo for choking and killing Garner.
鈥淚 feel relieved, conflicted, sad, angry,鈥� said Lakayana Drury, the founder and executive director of , an organization that aims to change the relationships between young, Black men and law enforcement. 鈥淚t took the entire emotional capacity of the Black community to even push for this. And then the combined effort of the general public just to get to ... a verdict that we couldn鈥檛 even guarantee. What that all means is that we don鈥檛 have a justice system for Black people in this country.鈥�
Drury said people shouldn鈥檛 believe one verdict means systemic problems with policing have been fixed.
鈥淲e have a long way to go,鈥� he said.
Portland saw following Floyd鈥檚 death, as Oregonians demanded changes in policing and opposed a federal crackdown that tried to squash anger over the killing of Black people in America at the hands of police.
On Tuesday, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler declared an immediate state of emergency before the verdict was read, saying he was prepared for more protests after recent demonstrations . That declaration lasts until noon Wednesday.
鈥淎s the mayor, I鈥檝e declared a state of emergency to allow city bureaus to facilitate peaceful First Amendment activity and respond to any violence if necessary,鈥� Wheeler said at a press conference.
That state of emergency declaration allowed Oregon State Police, the Multnomah County Sheriff鈥檚 Office and the Oregon National Guard to lend aid to Portland police for any demonstrations. Portland Deputy Police Chief Chris Davis said his officers , as they have for some past demonstrations in the city.
Wheeler, who was joined by City Commissioner Mingus Mapps, later issued a statement praising the conviction.
鈥淒erek Chauvin was rightfully declared guilty for the murder of George Floyd. The verdict won鈥檛 bring back George Floyd, and it won鈥檛 repair the damage, but it is an encouraging waypoint on the long road to justice and equity,鈥� Wheeler wrote.
After the verdict came down, Portland Commissioner Carmen Rubio also wrote in a statement that while the conviction was what the nation 鈥渆xpected and called for,鈥� it alone would not make Black Americans any safer.
鈥漌hile we recognize that a guilty verdict was delivered in this specific case, it is still not safe for many Black lives because numerous Americans refuse to acknowledge that white supremacy and racism continue to define this country in too many ways,鈥� she wrote. 鈥淭oday鈥檚 decision will not be an indication that America is changing unless we make it so.鈥�
Demonstrations across the Northwest were not limited to large cities like Portland, however. Floyd鈥檚 killing also brought together activist groups in Southwest Washington and more rural parts of Oregon.
In Central Oregon, where an activist group called the Peacekeepers formed in 2020, protests against racism and vigils for victims of police violence have persisted. The group鈥檚 29-year-old Afro-Latino leader, Luke Richter, said the verdict was the 鈥渂est possible outcome that could have happened in this situation.鈥�
鈥淚 hope this opens the door for more police speaking out on bad [officers], and having conversations to make the whole system better,鈥� Richter said.
He said he wants activists to keep putting pressure on police leaders and policymakers 鈥渟o that things like this become the regular when a cop kills somebody.鈥�
Criminal defense and civil right attorney Erious Johnson said he was concerned awaiting the verdict because he saw Chauvin鈥檚 defense do their job and create 鈥渟ome kind of doubt.鈥�
鈥淚 just wish you could鈥檝e heard me,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淚 thought my head was going to explode when I saw it, because I really thought he was going to walk away.鈥�
Johnson said the verdict shows the criminal justice can work.
鈥淏eing a Black man in America, I get a lot of guff for being a criminal defense attorney, 鈥榟ow can you believe in this system?鈥欌�� Johnson said. 鈥淚鈥檓 trying to uphold it and make it work. So this is like, man, it does work, it can work. It can help right itself. I feel really good for the people who protested and took to the streets. The universe is balanced at least for the moment.鈥�
Portland civil rights attorney Juan Chavez has filed numerous lawsuits against law enforcement including how police in Portland responded to protests in the weeks after Floyd was killed. For the last year, he said many have stored 鈥渋n our bones and in our nerves鈥� a collective fear that the jury might not convict the former Minneapolis police officer.
鈥淚鈥檓 moved, I鈥檓 really moved that truth prevailed,鈥� Chavez told OPB.
Law enforcement in Oregon also issued statements on the Chauvin verdict, calling it 鈥渕easure of closure鈥� for Floyd鈥檚 family.
Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese said Floyd鈥檚 death should never have happened and acknowledged the verdict would not bring back his life.
鈥淭he systems of accountability worked, holding an individual, who worked within that very system, responsible for their criminal actions,鈥� Reese said in a statement after the verdict. 鈥�(Law enforcement has) a moral responsibility to protect people in our custody from harm. The actions by Derek Chauvin and additional officers go against our training and our code of ethics.鈥�
The common theme Tuesday among activists who have been fighting systemic racism and police violence for years was that the conviction is a move in the right direction, but they remain skeptical of the justice system.
鈥淚 understand the celebration, I understand the sense of relief and retribution and vindication that a lot of us are going to feel,鈥� said Mic Crenshaw, a local hip hop artist and educator. 鈥淚 also want to stay on my toes and see how things develop in the weeks and months to come. "
Crenshaw said he wants to know what Chauvin鈥檚 sentence will be, and whether the case faces an appeal.
He also pointed to recent police killings of Adam Toledo in Chicago and Duante Wright in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota as potential indicators of where the nation stands regarding police accountability.
鈥淭hese are fresh murders,鈥� Crenshaw said. 鈥淎nd even though the cop who shot Duante Wright was charged, we鈥檙e going to have to see how the national climate responds in terms of consequences for law enforcement.鈥�
Copyright 2021 Oregon Public Broadcasting. To see more, visit .