Derek Chauvin’s 22-year prison sentence doesn’t erase systemic racism: Minneapolis NAACP VP

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been sentenced to 22 and one half years in prison for the May 25, 2020 murder of George Floyd, whose death sparked protests all over the world. Anika Bowie, vice president of the Minneapolis NAACP, discussed this sentence during a Saturday, June 26 appearance on CNN.

Bowie maintained a matter-of-fact tone throughout the appearance. Although the Minneapolis NAACP VP was glad that Chauvin received a long sentence, she stressed that it was by no means a panacea when it comes to racial disparities in the United States' criminal justice system. Bowie said despite the protests that followed Floyd's death, the use of excessive force by police in African-American communities in the U.S. has, sadly, not decreased.

Bowie also noted that the U.S. still suffers from systemic racism, a problem that Chauvin's sentence, she emphasized, does not erase.

In April, an interracial jury found Chauvin guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, second-degree manslaughter and third-degree murder.