PHOTOS: Crowds React To Guilty Verdict In Derek Chauvin Trial

PHOTOS: Crowds React To Guilty Verdict In Derek Chauvin Trial

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Groups of people gathered in streets around the country on Tuesday after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murder and manslaughter.

Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, was killed on May 25, 2020, when Chauvin put a knee to his neck for more than nine minutes. The murder sparked mass protests nationwide and in Chicago.

Kamaile Elderts and Joseph Ravago listen to news reports
Kamaile Elderts and Joseph Ravago listen to news reports as they wait Tuesday, April 20, 2021, in Washington, to hear the verdict in Minneapolis, in the murder trial against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was announced. Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press
People cheer after a guilty verdict was announced at the trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin
People cheer after a guilty verdict was announced at the trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin for the 2020 death of George Floyd, Tuesday, April 20, 2021, in Minneapolis, Minn. Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin has been convicted of murder and manslaughter in the death of Floyd. Associated Press
London Williams bursts into tears after hearing Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder
London Williams, 31, of Harrisburg, Pa., bursts into tears on Tuesday, April 20, 2021, in Washington, after hearing that former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd. Jacquelyn Martin
People cheer after a guilty verdict was announced at the trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin
People cheer after a guilty verdict was announced at the trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin for the 2020 death of George Floyd, Tuesday, April 20, 2021, in Minneapolis, Minn. Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin has been convicted of murder and manslaughter in the death of Floyd. Associated Press
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People celebrate after a guilty verdict was announced at the trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin for the 2020 death of George Floyd, Tuesday, April 20, 2021, in Minneapolis, Minn. Chauvin has been convicted of murder and manslaughter in the death of Floyd. Morry Gash / Associated Press
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President Joe Biden, accompanied by Vice President Kamala Harris, speaks Tuesday, April 20, 2021, at the White House in Washington, after former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd. Evan Vucci / Associated Press

As the nation reacted to the historic verdict, the downtown streets of Chicago rocked by protests last summer were sparse, a potent image serving to symbolize a city’s seeming contentment with Tuesday’s judgment. 

Some activists gathered at Daley Plaza. Speakers emphasized that while pleased with the verdict, they wanted to see more action to control and even abolish the Chicago Police Department. 

Some activists protested in Daley Plaza
Some activists gathered in Daley Plaza after former police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murder for George Floyd’s death. Marc Monaghan / WBEZ
Kodi Guillory, Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Oppression
Kodi Guillory, Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Oppression speaking at Daley Plaza in Chicago after the guilty verdict against Derek Chauvin was announced in Minnesota. Marc Monaghan / WBEZ
Some activists gathered in Daley Plaza
Some activists gathered in Daley Plaza in downtown Chicago after former police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murdering George Floyd. Marc Monaghan / WBEZ