‘Closer Look’ Guests React To Derek Chauvin Verdict, Discuss Why Push For Police Reform Must Continue

At left, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is taken into custody Tuesday. Later, people march through the streets of Atlanta after Chauvin was found guilty of three counts in the death of George Floyd.

Court TV via AP, Pool (left); Ben Gray/Associated Press (right)

After 10 hours of deliberations, jurors found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of murdering George Floyd last May.

Chauvin was convicted Tuesday of second- and third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Wednesday’s edition of “Closer Look” focuses on what happened during the three-week trial, what Chauvin’s conviction means to communities across the world, police reform and the legislation that could change the standard operating procedures that law enforcement officers currently follow

Show host Rose Scott talks with Page Pate, a criminal defense attorney and a WABE legal analyst, about Chauvin’s trial and the verdict. Pate also discusses how video footage evidence could play a vital role in the upcoming high-profile trials of men accused of killing Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta and Ahmaud Arbery in suburban Brunswick, Georgia.

During the one-hour radio program, professors Illya Davis of Morehouse College, Maurice Hobson of Georgia State University and Nsenga Burton of Emory University reflect on how the eruption of protests following George Floyd’s death connects to the civil rights movement and redefines social justice in the 21st century.

They also discuss why they feel the push for police reform must continue.

To listen to the full conversation, click the audio player above.

For a deeper exploration of Ahmaud Arbery’s story, listen to WABE’s podcast, “Buried Truths.” Hosted by journalist, professor, and Pulitzer-prize-winning author Hank Klibanoff, season three of “Buried Truths” explores the Arbery murder and its direct ties to racially motivated murders of the past in Georgia.