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Statement by Rev. Sharpton & NAN on the Federal Grand Jury Indictments of 4 Ex-Officers Involved in George Floyd’s Killing

Statement by Rev. Sharpton & NAN on the Federal Grand Jury Indictments of 4 Ex-Officers Involved in George Floyd’s Killing, Including Derek Chauvin Who Was Also Charged in a Second Indictment, Stemming from the Arrest and Neck Restraint of a 14-Year-Old Boy in 2017

New York, NY (May 7, 2021) – Reverend Al Sharpton and the National Action Network (NAN) released a statement today in response to the indictments against ex-police officers in Minneapolis:

“A federal grand jury’s indictment of the four policemen involved in the George Floyd case and the separate indictment of Derek Chauvin on another case, shows we have a Justice Department that deals with police criminality and does not excuse it nor allow police to act as though as what they do is acceptable behavior in the line of duty. For many years we have tried to get the federal government to make it clear that these crimes are not only state crimes but violate civil rights on a federal level when police engage in this kind of behavior. What we couldn’t get them to do in the case of Eric Garner, Michael Brown in Ferguson, and countless others we are finally seeing them do today and this is a significant development for those of us who have been engaged in the struggle and police reform movement.”