Ben Crump: Derek Chauvin's Guilty Plea of Violating George Floyd's Civil Rights Sends Strong Message
Former police officer Derek Chauvin has pleaded guilty to violating George Floyd's civil rights, marking the first time he publicly admitted to his role in Floyd's death. Chauvin kneeled on Floyd's neck for over nine minutes, killing him with the excessive use of force in 2019. Floyd's dying words, I can't breathe," became a rallying cry for social justice protests and calls to defund the police across the country. Chauvin also pleaded guilty for violating the civil rights of a 14-year-old juvenile in 2017. To be held accountable on both levels, on state level and federal level, we believe, sends a very clear message that the deliberate indifference and the denial of constitutional rights of marginalized people of color won't be tolerated," says Benjamin Crump, attorney for multiple families of victims of police brutality.