FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                    

April 20, 2021

STATEMENT FROM UCLA LATINO POLICY AND POLITICS INSTITUTE IN RESPONSE TO TODAY’S VERDICT IN THE DEREK CHAUVIN TRIAL

 Statement from Sonja Diaz, founding director of the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute in response to today’s verdict in the Derek Chauvin Trial:

“Today’s guilty verdict in the trial of the murder of George Floyd is an incremental step in fixing a system that for far too long has devalued the lives of Black Americans with impunity. The jury’s verdict provides accountability that for so many others remains elusive, even when videos and other evidence makes it clear that they too deserve accountability. The deaths of Black Americans at the hands of police is driven by unjust systems that deny public safety and basic dignity on the basis of race.

To be clear, accountability does not mean justice and trials remain imperfect solutions for systemic failures. True justice is only possible when our laws, policies and practices reflect the important principle that Black Lives Matter.

As a Chicana, I stand in solidarity with Black leaders whose advocacy led to a national reckoning on racial injustice, making it clear that the absence of accountability will no longer be tolerated. This verdict is a call to all of us to commit to enduring change and reset failed systems so that Black and Brown Americans can live, work, and play in vibrant and resilient communities.”

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ABOUT UCLA LATINO POLICY AND POLITICS INSTITUTE

The UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute addresses the most critical domestic policy

challenges facing Latinos and other communities of color through research, advocacy,

mobilization, and leadership development to expand genuine opportunity for all Americans.