Passaic County Reacts To Chauvin Verdict

PASSAIC COUNTY, NJ — Passaic County officials and activists have responded to the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial with a mixture of feelings.

Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who was seen by people across the world with his knee on George Floyd's neck, was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter by a Hennepin County jury Tuesday. Read More: Derek Chauvin Trial Verdict Announcement (Livestream)

North Jersey activists and officials showed up online and in-person Tuesday, as a gathering was scheduled at Teaneck Town Hall.

Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr. called the conviction an act of "right and wonderful justice."

"George Floyd was murdered. The evidence was overwhelming. The jury saw that and delivered swift accountability. This trial result is one stich towards helping heal the wounds that were tragically opened by Mr. Floyd’s death. But complete healing demands that we as a nation confront the broken trust between our communities and the systemic injustice in our justice system. George Floyd should be alive today."

Others weren't so convinced that this moment would deliver a wave of change.

Paterson activist and organizer Zellie Thomas resurfaced calls to abolish the police, saying a single guilty verdict won't create systemic change.

Nearby in Bergen County, organizers who protested the death of Floyd over the summer also spoke out.

"A carceral state is a carceral state. The fact that there’s a trial at all is indicative of a system that needs dismantling," said the activist group Ridgewood for Black Liberation.

"The system still needs to go," wrote BLMxTeaneck.

Both Ridgewood for Black Liberation and BLMxTeaneck became fixtures in the state's activist community after the deaths of Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery in 2020.

That George Floyd's life was stolen became a prevailing theme, echoed by Booker, Pascrell and Gov. Phil Murphy.

"George Floyd, like countless other Black Americans whose futures have been unjustly stolen from them, should be alive today," said Murphy.

"While today's verdict provides some measure of justice and accountability for the Floyd family and millions of our fellow Americans, all of us must remember that systemic racism is still pervasive in American life. While we are glad that justice has prevailed in this case, George Floyd’s murder is a painful reminder that inequality has deep roots in American history, starting during slavery and continuing to the present day in areas such as wages, health care, housing, education, and treatment by law enforcement."

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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