Council Member Betsy Wilkerson issued the following statement regarding the guilty verdict of Derek Chauvin:
“As a Sister, Mother, Grandparent, Aunt, and Friend- today is painful for some black people yet bears a sigh of relief. Every day we wake up and worry about the safety of our family and friends at the hands of law enforcement. The ones who are supposed to “protect and serve”, we beg you to stop killing us. Intentionally or unintentionally, the deaths of unarmed black and brown people by the hands of officers is grossly out of proportion and it must stop.
As we go forward in our country and in Spokane, let us continue to fight for justice, protest peacefully, vote, volunteer, and do whatever we can to maintain the integrity of our legal system and law enforcement. There is still so much work to be done. While today was a major step in accountability, we still have a long journey to justice and being fully united citizens of America.
I hope the guilty verdict brings the comfort of justice to the family of George Floyd, our community, and the world. Rest in Peace to our brother George Floyd we will remember your name and the disadvantaged loss of your life.”
