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Michigan Civil Rights Leaders Respond to Derek Chauvin Guilty Plea to Federal Charges that he Violated the Civil Rights of George Floyd
December 15, 2021
LANSING, MI - Two of Michigan's leading civil rights authorities today responded to Derek Chauvin's guilty plea to federal charges that his actions in the restraint and suffocation of George Floyd were a violation of Floyd's civil rights.
Stacie Clayton, Chair of the Michigan Civil Rights Commission and John E. Johnson, Jr., Executive Director of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights issued the following statement:
"The killing of George Floyd at the hands of Officer Derek Chauvin significantly increased worldwide awareness of on-going police brutality and the disparate treatment of Black, Indigenous and people of color by rogue police in this country. Nothing we do now can bring back Mr. Floyd, but Chauvin's guilty plea brings us one step closer to finding justice for his family and provides necessary accountability for those who choose to violate the civil rights of those who are Black, Indigenous and people of color. It also will help deter others in law enforcement from making the same deadly decisions and encourage upstanding officers to not turn a blind eye to unlawful acts by their colleagues."
The Michigan Civil Rights Commission was created by the Michigan Constitution to safeguard constitutional and legal guarantees against discrimination. The Commission is charged with investigating alleged discrimination against any person because of religion, race, color or national origin, genetic information, sex, age, marital status, height, weight, arrest record, and physical and mental disability. The Michigan Department of Civil Rights serves as the operational arm of the Commission.
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