Derek Chauvin has been convicted on all charges for the death of George Floyd, including two counts of murder and one count of manslaughter. The former Minneapolis Police officer is now facing up to 40 years in prison for second-degree murder, up to 25 years for third-degree murder and up to 10 years for second-degree manslaughter. Naturally, with people all across the world processing the news, many musicians are among those who have reacted publicly.
Public Enemy simply shared a screencap from CNN with a caption that’s straight to the point, “G U I L T Y on ALL counts.” George Floyd had died after an arrest in Minneapolis when Chauvin put a knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly 10 minutes following accusations that he had allegedly paid a store clerk with an allegedly counterfeit $20 bill. As has been well-documented, Floyd had said multiple times that he couldn’t breathe, but Chauvin reportedly didn’t budge until it was too late.
Questlove tweeted about waiting for the verdict, anxious over whether it would “be the first time in history there will be real accountability for murdering black people.” Upon hearing the news, he commented that it “doesn’t even feel real” after all of the years that he has lived without seeing something like this happen.
Others to respond include How to Destroy Angels’ Rob Sheridan, who said “Thank fucking hell,” Open Mike Eagle, who said “Regular ass criminal justice never felt so relieving,” Anamanaguchi, who said “RIP George Floyd,” Saul Williams, who said “Abolish the Police,” Queensryche, who said “Finally justice is being served,” Ice-T, who posted a GIF of himself saying “Guilty. On all counts” and Clipping, who said “It’s a start.”
Many more artists chose to keep their statements of support to just the word “Guilty,” including Massive Attack and Living Colour. Still, plenty of artists, including Downtown Boys, believed there was more that needed to be said. “The people won a battle and will win the war,” They tweeted. “The verdict came out when George Floyd joined the heavens. The criminal legal system is just late.”
Amanda Palmer was another with more to say, “Guilty. As we all knew. Because we saw, there was video and there is common sense. And now with any breath of relief, remember every breath that George Floyd couldn’t take with a knee on his neck for 9 minutes & 29 seconds. Remember every breath he will never take.” Although they’re not a musician, New York radio station Hot 97 tweeted a video that earns the final note of this story and is likely to sit as a bit bittersweet. It’s a clip of George Floyd’s daughter Gianna Floyd exclaiming, “Daddy changed the world!”
Photo credit: April Siese
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