Here & Now

Milwaukee Residents Respond to Derek Chauvin Verdict

Frederica Freyberg:

Across the country in the moments after the guilty verdicts were read, people took to the streets, this time in peace, with tears of joy. That was the scene in Milwaukee. “Here & Now” reporters Will Kenneally and Murv Seymour were there.

Maria Hamilton:

Today I applaud people in leadership in Minnesota for doing their damn job.

Will Kenneally:

It was a widespread feeling of relief as Wisconsinites heard the news that former officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murdering George Floyd. Most heard the news while at home.

Adante Jordan:

I was actually at home shaving. I know that with what has happened in past case there was no hope of, you know, believing that there would even be a verdict. So to actually get it and to actually get it on all three is where the joy and the relief comes in.

Will Kenneally:

The relief came from seeing justice done, according to many. That another Black man would not be killed by police without facing a conviction. This pain is familiar in Milwaukee.

Man:

This woman stands in this circle as a stark reminder of why y’all standing here today. We didn’t have eyes on the Dontre Hamilton case. We didn’t have eyes on Dontre Hamilton like the world watched Derek Chauvin.

Will Kenneally:

Dontre Hamilton was shot and killed by Milwaukee Police in 2014. His mother Maria spoke at a rally shortly after the verdict was read.

Maria Hamilton:

We still hurt. There’s thousands of me that have not seen the inside of a courthouse. And we still have to figure out how we going to get up.

Will Kenneally:

She asked those around her to take a step back and ask themselves what they can do to best lift up the community. Others saw the verdict as a teaching moment.

Dee-Dee Davis:

Are you having those conversations? Do your kids get to watch the court trials of George Floyd? Do you explain to them the importance of what just happened today? If you haven’t, it is my job as an educator, as a Black mom, to implore you to do so.

For me, as an educator, it is definitely a teachable moment in how — especially when you look at the justice system, how a verdict of peers, you know, multiracial peers, can change a verdict versus having peers that don’t look like them.

Our kids are not learning at school not to be racist. Our kids are not learning at school make friends with people who don’t look like you.

Will Kenneally:

While the guilty verdict was a celebration for many, it also served as an indication that there’s still work to be done.

Adante Jordan:

This is a definite celebration we celebrate with the Floyd family, but we still think about the other families that did not get theirs and their killers are still back at work, still throughout the community. And so we want to make sure that cases like this continue to happen, where people continue to get the justice that they deserve when unjustly killed by our police department.

Will Kenneally:

Reporting from Milwaukee, I’m Will Kenneally for “Here & Now.”

Woman:

Tell me what democracy looks like.

Crowd:

This is what democracy looks like.

Murv Seymour:

I’m Murv Seymour with details on what people expect now that a guilty verdict is in after this enormous trial.

David Bowen:

We know that folks have been calling for change for quite some time. This should put a fire under everyone that we cannot ignore this issue any longer.

Murv Seymour:

For perspective, we talk with a lawmaker who has continually taken to the streets in support of community activists marching for change.

David Bowen:

Folks in the state have to be accountable. My colleagues in the Legislature and we all must rise to the occasion to work with each other rather than letting the petty squabbles get in the way. Let’s actually do something that will save lives in the state of Wisconsin.

Man:

I’m not a use-of-force expert.

Murv Seymour:

Just this week, a special bipartisan task force of state representatives announced more than a dozen recommendations on creating statewide standards for policing that includes things like forcing officers to intervene if they see another one using excessive force and making it criminal if they don’t. Stronger whistleblower protection for officers who report witnessing excessive force. And a statewide ban on chokeholds and what is considered a chokehold. They also recommend body cameras for all cops statewide and psychological evaluations for every officer before they’re even hired.

Tom Barrett:

There are people in positions of authority.

Murv Seymour:

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett says it’s clear. Changes in protecting his city must come with new approaches and accountability, improved enforcement and increased respect for the community. He says the end of the Chauvin trial is not the end of problems in policing.

Tom Barrett:

This is not the conclusion of anything. The fight for racial justice, the fight for fair policing, the fight for community involvement has to continue. It will continue. Because we continue to see too many people dying at the hands of police officers throughout this nation. And that has to change.

[chanting]

Murv Seymour:

So how do social justice protests in Kenosha, Madison, Milwaukee and other parts of the state effect actual changes how people of color are policed and protected? Listen to this Milwaukee protestor.

Do you think your presence here is going to have an effect on policing at all?

Shaei:

Yeah, most definitely. I mean we all have a voice. And when we come together that just makes one gigantic, unified voice. And so I most definitely believe that I as an individual coming together with other individuals can — will most definitely make a change.

Man:

The people, united, will never be divided.

David Bowen:

The murder of George Floyd sparked the whole country and the world to engage in activism.

Woman:

Black lives matter.

David Bowen:

The most that we’ve seen since the Civil Rights Movement of the ’60s. You ask them if protesting works.

[chanting]

Shaei:

It’s a small step forward but it’s still a step forward.

David Bowen:

We need to embrace reform. It’s time for us to be very creative, think outside of the box.

Murv Seymour:

Reporting for “Here & Now” I’m Murv Seymour.

Frederica Freyberg:

As you saw, that was Murv Seymour reporting. He joins the “Here & Now” news team with a beat focusing on issues of racial justice. And Will Kenneally recently joined the reporting staff of “Here & Now” after a tireless year as digital editor.