Statement from Assemblyman Ramos on Chauvin Verdict

“As a former police officer, I found myself appalled by the video we all saw almost a year ago of Officer Derek Chauvin suffocating and murdering George Floyd... flanked by his fellow officers. Today, a jury of his peers affirmed the truth of Chauvin's crime. But, we cannot be lulled into believing that we do not live in a world in which routine policing doesn't involve so much death and despair for the communities supposedly being served and protected. In rare instances like this, when police are prosecuted for the wrongful deaths happening at their hands, sentencing too often demeans and devalues the worth of the lives of their black and brown victims.

“I offer my prayers to the Floyd family tonight as another traumatic chapter in this American nightmare continues for them. As they fight for justice for George Floyd's memory, I’ll continue working with my colleagues in the Assembly to pass additional police reforms that would require widespread body camera use and force officers to report police misconduct happening within their own ranks. We cannot change the past, but we can – and must – stop tolerating police brutality and forge a better, more just future for us all.”