Illinois Education Association releases statement on Derek Chauvin guilty verdict

SPRINGFIELD – Today the Illinois Education Association (IEA) released the following statement regarding the Derek Chauvin guilty verdict.

The following is attributable to IEA President Kathi Griffin:

“Everyone wants to be safe in their community – no matter where they live, no matter the color of their skin. The jury’s verdict today helps remind us that no one should be above the law, even if they are the law. Derek Chauvin was hired to serve and protect his community. Instead, he took the life of George Floyd over the alleged passing of a fake $20 bill, in broad daylight, on a Minneapolis street, ignoring onlookers who were warning Chauvin he was killing Floyd.

As Chauvin’s co-workers and supervisors testified at the trial, he violated the department’s Use of Force policies. Their testimony indicated they believed Chauvin’s actions showed he lacked a moral compass.

There has been a long list of crimes committed against Black and Brown people by police over the years. Now, more are being caught on camera. As a result, justice is more likely to be served.

The Illinois Education Association, wherein part of our mission is “to effect excellence and equity in public education” is asking people to ask their Senators to support the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which calls for common sense police reforms, including:

    • Requiring the use of dashboard and body cameras;
    • Mandatory de-escalation training;
    • The end of racial and religious profiling;
    • The end of no-knock warrants;
    • And, the prohibition of potentially fatal measures that block blood flow to the brain (like that which killed George Floyd).

It is our responsibility to look out for the safety of our students — all our students. And, we believe changes such as these will help.”

###

The 135,000 member Illinois Education Association (IEA-NEA) is the state’s largest education employee’s organization. IEA represents preK-12 teachers outside of the city of Chicago and education support staff, higher education faculty, retired education employees and students preparing to become teachers, statewide.

Press Release
Media Contact

Bridget Shanahan
Media Relations Director
bridget.shanahan@ieanea.org
708.341.4361