Governor Walz Statement on Attorney General's Officer Charging Decision

Statement

Governor Tim Walz today released the following statement following Attorney General Keith Ellison's decision to increase Officer Derek Chauvin's charge to second degree murder and bring charges against the three additional officers involved in George Floyd's death:

"I laid flowers at George Floyd's memorial this morning. As a former high school history teacher, I looked up at the mural of George's face painted above and I reflected on what his death will mean for future generations. What will our young people learn about this moment? Will his death be just another blip in a textbook? Or will it go down in history as when our country turned toward justice and change?"

"It's on each of us to determine that answer."

"The charges announced by Attorney General Keith Ellison today are a meaningful step toward justice for George Floyd. But we must also recognize that the anguish driving protests around the world is about more than one tragic incident."

"George Floyd's death is the symptom of a disease. We will not wake up one day and have the disease of systemic racism cured for us. This is on each of us to solve together, and we have hard work ahead."

"We owe that much to George Floyd, and we owe that much to each other."

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