people live and know what it's like to work with every breath you spring. with. but when. this is al-jazeera. this is the news hour live from doha with one story dominates the bulletins right now and verdict the jury finds former policeman derek shaven guilty of murdering george for. 6 your family and friends of floyd unite to salute the verdicts but say the fight is

not over. tears and cries of relief and celebration outside the crowns are found to stay on the streets until only 4 officers and bolton floyd's arrest a convicted. guilty guilty guilty former police officer derek shaven has been convicted on all 3 charges of killing george floyd a case that triggered protests in the united states and around the world fold most 9 and a half minutes he knelt on the neck of floyd in the city of minneapolis nearly a year ago here's how the judge delivered the vote we the jury in the above entitled matter as to count one unintentional 2nd degree murder while committing a felony find the defendant guilty. it took about 10 hours for the jury to convict

shaven on all 3 charges 2nd degree murder 3rd degree murder and 2nd degree manslaughter after shaving his juge me sentence in 8 weeks and faces up to 40 is in prison. well people have been celebrating the verdict outside the courthouse in minneapolis and in other cities around the united states minnesota state's attorney general has called on people to continue the march towards equality ok great you're going to remember that. you know. better now. that you all better. here's this writing. i think you could be. going to start to change history yeah. a. credit card credit we share with you. here you see if you're

watching you're sticking. to. one another of the prosecutors as jerry blackwell says he hopes the verdict has a positive effect. no verdict can bring george perry floyd back to us. but this verdict does give a message to his family that he was somebody that his life matters that all of our lives matter and that's important. and i also hope that this verdict for all of the rest of collective all of us. well help us further along the road toward a better humanity well let's cross to cross one of the she ever turns he's standing by in minneapolis so she had after 3 weeks of testimony dozens of witnesses the verdict in the end came fast and clear guilty on all counts.

and we had about video all along 9 and a half minutes 9 minutes 29 seconds showing what appeared clear to most who saw it that this was some inhumane behavior and yet throughout the day throughout the last few weeks we've had. disbelief that even when the evidence seems incontrovertibly is this that in the words of the prosecution the jury would believe their eyes believe what they were saying because so often in the past even when there is video evidence the jury has not believe their eyes they have believed the police officer a justice system which often seems designed to protect police officers give them practical immunity against any evidence of their wrong doing all they have to say is we were worried for our lives i was worried for my lives you don't know what was what happened you but this time this time it was different and it's interesting to

hear everyone speak about the difference 56 years of black lives mottram options have have made the activism the the understanding of what's what's at stake you know often we hear people complain you what is what are all these marches achieving they're causing traffic snarl ups and the just causing trouble well this is what we're here and this is what we're hearing those marchers have achieved but even when you you listen to a seasoned civil rights leader like al sharpton the reverend al sharpton you can almost hear the disbelief the disbelief in his voice that even though it seems so obvious that this was the verdict. this is the 1st time in the history of distaste that a white police officer has been convicted last known convicted of a murder. this is the 1st time in

a long range of fights that we've seen 3 counts guilty on all 3. we don't find pleasure in this we don't celebrate a man going to jail we would have rather george be alive here but we celebrate that we because young people white and black some castigated many that are here tonight marched in kept much. so she had the sentence said the verdict is true and to further considerations that one is the sentencing and secondly the child's an appeal. right we fully expects so even to pay we kind of got to a sense of the grounds for appeal as. the closing arguments in fact of the jury had been dismissed and we. say well look we're all this sort of media attention means there's no way these this jury could impartially decide the case and he also for

a mistrial of the judge said the judge said no it's not a plan to be part of it there was a multimillion dollar civil settlement as well from the city which obviously showed the view as it was that something wrong that happens but again we expect the defense say well about the jury was aware of that they knew something. that the state knew that something wrong that happened in the city of knew something was wrong with happen and sure that might have influenced your we expect those to be the be the grounds for appeal. how much of a chance you will have given the the evidence and we have the convince these these 12 jurors to make to make that decision but i think we should also add that this is just one police officer and it was interesting listening to activists and civil rights leaders today who disagreed i mean much as they're very grateful for the prosecution and how skillfully they argued this case towards the end there and closing arguments the prosecution said the minneapolis police force is not on trial

this is about one officer derek shravan well where is the message we're getting from everyone here is the minneapolis police force is on trial not only that every police force in america is on trial this isn't about a bad apple this is about a system that kills black people with impunity. just hang on the 2nd we come back in just a minute but 1st let's hear from some protesters who were outside the minneapolis called they shared their reactions to this guilty verdict. i feel. this. unstoppable i feel like the fact that we were able to secure justice for george bush. justice for every black person killed by police. i felt like right now i'm caroline from marching marching says. so all of us are here so it was a huge group happiness and you know everything else. just. came.

out. and i didn't. have a. fight a fight right now especially on the road. but i want. to . thank. the white house where we can. come out and help build trust between law enforcement and our communities this bill is part of george floyd's legacy. the president and i will continue to urge the senate to pass this legislation not as a panacea for every problem but as a start. this work is long overdue. america has a long history of systemic racism black americans and black men in particular have

been treated throughout the course of our history as less than human. black men our fathers and brothers and sons and uncles and grandfathers and friends and neighbors. their lives must be valued in our education system in our health care system in our housing system in our economic system in our criminal justice system. in our nation full stop because of smart phones so many americans have now seen the racial injustice that black americans have known for generations the racial injustice that we have fought for generations that my parents protested in the 1960 s.

that millions of us americans of every race protested last summer. here's the truth about racial injustice it is not just a black america problem or a people of color problem it is a problem for every american it is keeping us from fulfilling the promise of liberty and justice for all and it is holding our nation back from realizing our full potential we are all a part of george floyd's legacy and our job now is to honor it and to honor him thank you and now it is my great honor to introduce the president of the united states joe biden.

he jury in minnesota found former minneapolis police most are dirt chauvelin guilty on all counts in the murder. of george floyd last may. it was a murder in full light of day and to rip the blinders off for the whole world to see the systemic racism the vice president just referred to there are systemic craziness the state dain on our nation's soul and a knee on the neck of justice for black americans the found fear and trauma

the pain exhaustion and black and brown americans experience every single day the murder george florey launched a summer protest we hadn't seen since the civil rights era in the sixty's protests that unified people of every race and generation and peace and with purpose to say enough anough enough of the senseless killings today today's verdict is a step forward i just spoke with the governor of minnesota thank before the close work with his team and i also spoke with george floyd's family again remarkable family of extraordinary courage nothing can ever bring their brother their father back but this can be a giant step forward in the march toward justice in america. but it's also

be clear the such a verdict is also much too rare for so many people seems like it took a unique and extraordinary convergence of factors. a brave young woman with a smartphone camera a crowd that was traumatized traumatized witnesses a murder that lasts almost 10 minutes in broad daylight for all the many the whole world to see officers. standing up and testifying against a fellow officer and set of just closing ranks which should be commended for a jury who heard the evidence carried out their civic duty in the midst of extraordinary moment under extraordinary pressure for so many it feels

like it took all of that for the judicial system to deliver a just just basic countability we saw how dramatic and exhausting just watching the trial was for so many people think about it those here listening think about how traumatic it was for you we weren't there you didn't know any of the people but it was difficult especially for the witnesses who had to relive that day it's a trauma on top of the fear so many people of color live with every day when they go to sleep at night and pray for the safety of themselves and their loans again as we saw in this trial from a fellow police officers who testified most went with men and women who wear the badge and serve their communities honorably but those few who fail to meet that

standard must be held accountable and they were today one was no one should be above the law and today's verdict sends that message but it's not enough we can't stop here in order to live a real change reform we can and we must do more to reduce the likelihood that tragedy like this will ever happen occur again to ensure the black and brown people or anyone. so they don't fear the interactions of law enforcement that they don't have to wake up knowing that they can lose their very life in the course of just living their life. they don't have to worry about whether their sons or daughters will come home after grocery store run or just walking down the street or driving their car playing in the park or just sleeping at home and this takes

acknowledging and confronting head on systemic racism and the racial disparities that exist in police see and in our criminal justice system more broadly you know state and local government and law enforcement needs to step up but so does the federal government that's why i've appointed the leadership of the just apartment that i have that is fully committed to restoring trust between law enforcement the community they are worn to serve and protect i have complete confidence in the attorney general general garlands leadership and commitment i've also nominated 2 key justice department i'm uneasy the need to group. and kristen clarke or eminently qualified highly respected lawyers who have spent their entire careers fighting to advance racial equity and justice anita

and kristen have the experience and the skill necessary to advance our administration's priorities to root out unconstitutional policing and reform our criminal justice system and they deserve to be confirmed we also need congress to act george floyd was murdered almost a year ago. there's meaningful police reform legislation in his name you just heard the vice president speak of it she helped write it legislation to tackle systemic misconduct in police departments to sort trust between law enforcement on the people they're interested to serve and protect but it shouldn't take a whole year to get this done my conversations with the floyd family i spoke with him again today. i assure them we're going to continue to fight for the passage of the georgia floor just as simply see an act so we can i can sign a law as quickly as possible there's more to do finally

is the work we do every day to change hearts and minds as well as laws and policies that's the work we have to do only then will for justice and full equality be delivered to all americans and that's what i just discussed with the floyd family the guilty verdict. does not bring back george but through the family's pain their finding purpose so george george's legacy will not be just about his death but about what we must do in his memory i also spoke to john a george will of george's young daughter if you. in a matter last year i've said this before george is sure in rome i told our brave i thought she was and i sort of knelt down a hole or hand and said that is looking down on you so proud he said to me then

never forget it daddy changed the world and i told her this afternoon that he did change the world let that be his legacy a legacy of peace not violence and justice peaceful expression of that legacy are inevitable an appropriate violent protest is not and there are those who seek to exploit the raw emotions in the moment agitators in extremis who have no interest in social justice who seek to carry out violence destroy property fanned the flames of hate and division can do everything in their power to stop this country's march toward racial justice we can't let them succeed. this is a time for this country to come together to unite as americans there can never be any

safe harbor for hate in america said it many times the battle for soul of this nation has been a constant push and pull for more than 240 years a tug of war between the american ideal they were all created equal in the harsh reality that racism is long taurus apart at our best the american ideal wins out so we can't leave this moment or look away thinking our work is done we have to look at it we have to we've looked as as we did for those 9 minutes and 29 seconds we have to listen i can't breed i can't breed. george floors last words we can't let those words die within. we have to keep eerie those words

we must not turn away we can't turn away we have a chance to begin to change directors in this country it's my hope and prayer every live up to the legacy may god bless you. and may god bless the george floor and his family thank you for taking the time to be here this can be a moment of significant change thank you. but the u.s. president joe biden a chance to change the trajectory in this country he said speaking of the systemic racism that is the stain on the nation's soul as he put it he said he has spoken to george floyd's family and told them that this verdict is a giant step forward in the march towards justice in the united states and said

that this kind of verdict is much too rare and just before the president spoke we heard from the vice president comment harris who the senate to pass the george floyd justice policing act said something that the president also referred to all right let's cross to can we help get our correspondent standing by for us at the white house and kimberly a giant step forward as president. that is certainly the message coming from not only president joe biden but also his vice president kala harris when she spoke as she started out her comments she talked about how while this might be a measure of justice this in no way should equate to equal justice in other words that this is a white house that believes that there is still so much work to be done and that was the focus of the comments * as the u.s. president and 1st lady jill biden as long as well as couple of harris telephoned george floyd's families to speak with them again saying that there is so much more

work to be done and a commitment that they will continue to do that work kummel harris pointing out that we wouldn't even be discussing this case today this verdict guilty on all 3 counts for derek chauvin the police officer who knelt and george floyd's now causing his death we wouldn't be talking about this if it weren't for smartphones and the courage of those people who stepped out and spoke up against what they see as one of the greatest challenges in the united states and that is systemic racism something that was the focus of the president's comments a challenge to all americans as he spoke there saying that not only is it important to acknowledge that it exists but also to confront it saying as you point out that is a systemic racism it is a stain on the nation's soul now in reference to that legislation the george floyd act it is in congress the president referencing that it came out about

a year ago but it has still not been passed into law when the president spoke to george foy's family he said he's looking forward to bringing this into law by signing it but 1st it has to be passed in congress is passed in the house it is stuck in the senate so this is something that once again is breathing new life into getting the. legislation passed what quickly would it do it would bring about reform of policing would ban things like chokeholds it would bring about more accountability and it would also introduce resorts is to assure that there isn't any need for the kinds of conflicts that we saw on that videotape that went all around the world and spawn so many protests so this is a call to action as well as a commendation by the u.s. president for those that stepped up the stepped up with courage including police officers who spoke out against a fellow officer and spoke up for right versus wrong or it can really be there for the moment so thanks very much indeed for that assessment to communicate the white

house a little speak note to mary frances berry who's a former chair of the u.s. commission on civil rights and currently professor of american thought at the university of pennsylvania and she joins us live via skype from new orleans in louisiana mary frances berry great to have you with us here in a momentous moment off to so many years of despair tell us more about your reaction to. well obviously there could be some celebration and some thoughts about how momentous is how great it is and now glad we are that chopper was convicted on these 3 counts and it's not over and the george floyd vale that's in the house that was mentioned should be pest but it won't solve the problem the protesters around the united states who've been protesting since last spring want reform of their local police and their local communities including minneapolis so

that the training is better and all sorts of things are better in their communities so you haven't heard the last of this and of course we now know that there are some problems with even in minneapolis because we will have these other trials coming up on the other police officers one of whom was just recently trained and came out of the academy and the head of that he put on george full weight when he 1st encountered him so the point is and we should all be pleased the president and the vice president are correct that we are on the way where we could make change but the protesters are going to continue because we have not really solved what is a local problem can cities and states in this country and then we have to hope that these murders of on our own people do not continue in the meanwhile so what steps do you think need to be taken to ensure this conviction isn't just a sort of a moment in time the palaces that isn't just symbolic. well the 1st thing that has

to happen is that the local to police departments have to be more essential was about who they hire how they train them what they tell them to do and that they engage in the escalation we heard a lot of talk about that during the trial but the police and testified against the show that we now are supposed to do deescalation but escalation and that all police departments should be trained to do that we need to do something about police departments not making traffic stops a lot of these episodes happen with something minor like a $20.00 bill or a traffic stop over and over again but lead to these deadly consequences police don't even need to make traffic stops there are all kinds of technologies available where you can handle threat which you worry about somebody having to taillight out or something so there are all kinds of changes that in addition to the george florida act that the president the vice president mentioned that in fact could

happen at the state and local level and that's what the protesters will be pushing for and what they will be looking for so that we can stop this and use this as momentum in this case as momentum to keep moving forward. frances berry great to have your perspective we do appreciate that thank you so much for joining us here on al-jazeera. but i mean we're going to cross over to kristen sumi joins us live now from new york chris not you know this is across the united states so people have been riveted watching the events of the verdict unfolding tell us what's happening. yes well i am in brooklyn new york where people have been slowly gathering since the verdict was announced the plaza that you see behind me here has been an epicenter for black lives matter's protests for the last year you may recall that after the killing of george floyd after protests in new york city over last summer it became almost

a daily occurrence not just here in brooklyn but all around the city you would see demonstrators on the march carrying banners signs in people's windows and hartmann's around the city as well so that you incidentally had a strong effect in this city which has its own long history of racial tensions between the minority community here and police and i've got some of the demonstrators and protesters you came out here with me sonia and don you know thank you for talking to al-jazeera why what was your reaction when you heard the verdict 1st i was in shock both in a good way better we a good way that to me justice finally served in a step call.