The Legal Aid Society issued the following statement in response to the sentencing of Derek Chauvin. Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, was found guilty on all charges related to the death of George Floyd. Today he was sentenced to 22-and-a half years in prison, as reported by The New York Times.

“We hope today provides some closure for the family, friends and community of George Floyd, but this conviction will not bring him back nor will it eliminate the scourge of police violence that our clients and so many others from neighborhoods of color endure each and every day – an epidemic that shows no signs of abating.

Real change will come from abolishing the systems and institutions that allow police misconduct to continue with impunity, and that must remain our unwavering goal.

Lastly, if anything, and in memory of George Floyd and so many others who have lost their lives to police violence, this moment should reaffirm our commitment towards combating the longstanding reality that police, prosecutors and others in law enforcement in this nation wield far too much power and control in spaces where they simply do not belong.”