AUSTIN, Texas — In the wake of Tuesday's guilty verdicts for Derek Chauvin regarding the murder of George Floyd last year in Minneapolis, the Austin Justice Coalition (AJC) will be hosting an event at Huston-Tillotson University this week.
The "Breathe: The Fight Continues" rally will be held Thursday at 5 p.m. To RSVP on Facebook, click here.
AJC Executive Director Chas Moore released the following statement on Wednesday:
"Yesterday, a jury returned a verdict of guilty on all counts in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the police officer who murdered George Floyd. While we hold this moment as a victory step toward accountability for police, one guilty verdict doesn’t absolve the system of the countless other lives that have been taken from us. Every day this year – excluding just three – someone has been murdered by the police. We will not and can not stand down now.
"The tides of change are slowly washing upon the shores of our society because we took to the streets along with millions of others and used our voices to speak out and act against systemic racism and police brutality. We organized and held fast under the pressure of a global pandemic to stand together. This is a reminder that when we fight – together – we can win.
"Now more than ever, we need strong leadership. We need our white allies and co-conspirators to support Black, Indigenous, and people of color leadership. We need to set aside petty politics as usual for revolutionary love and teamwork. There is so much more to be done and I believe that we will win.
"Austin Justice Coalition staff and community have been at the forefront of this fight in Austin for over six years and we have accomplished so much together. I would like to extend an invitation to everyone to join the fight. As we scale our work, we are investing in grassroots organizing and advocacy to continue addressing issues of racial, criminal and economic justice."
A jury found Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, guilty of second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, and Judge Peter Cahill later reinstated a third-degree murder charge against him. This all came after bystander and police videos were shared across the world showing Chauvin kneeling on Floyd for nine minutes and 29 seconds in the street.