George Floyd's six-year-old daughter Gianna attends press conference
Attorney for Roxie Washington, Daniel R. Meachum, Esq., Gianna Floyd and Will Platt at press conference.
'Today, we are able to breathe again': George Floyd's six-year-old daughter Gianna attends press conference as his brother talks of family's relief following Chauvin guilty verdict
George Floyd's brother said that the family would finally be able to 'breathe again' following the guilty verdict against Derek Chauvin as the slain man's young daughter was held tightly by relatives.
The family of Floyd attended a press conference with their lawyer Ben Crump, Rev. Al Sharpton, Rev. Jesse Jackson and other notable community members.
Chauvin was found guilty on all counts - second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter - in the shocking 2020 death of George Floyd.
'Today, we are able to breathe again,' one of Floyd's younger brothers, Philonise, said at the conference, just moments after the verdict was read. 'Justice for George means freedom for all.'
Tears streamed down his face as he likened Floyd to the 1955 Mississippi lynching victim Emmett Till, except that this time there were cameras around to show the world what happened.
Floyd's six-year-old daughter Gianna was in attendance for the press conference as well, along with other members of the family.
'Say his name!' Floyd's relatives chanted as they entered the room with their fist raised, the Washington Post reports. 'George Floyd!'
Tuesday's verdict was not only important for the family but also for history, shared another brother, Terrence Floyd.
'I will miss him, but now I know he's in history,' he said. 'What a day to be a Floyd, man.'
The jury returned its verdict on Tuesday afternoon after just 10 and a half hours of deliberation. Chauvin faces a minimum sentence of 12.5 years and maximum of 40 years if he serves terms for each charge concurrently.
If served consecutively, he faces between 29 and 75 years.
The verdict brings to an end a trial that has been riven with drama and threats of derailment that started before the jury was even empaneled - with the city's announcement of their $27million civil settlement with the Floyd family - and continued after closing statements' end.
It came after Joe Biden phoned family members and lawyers for George Floyd just minutes after a Minnesota jury returned a guilty verdict for Chauvin, as he again consoled family members and celebrated a verdict that he said would 'change the world.'
Biden phoned along with Vice President Kamala Harris and first lady Jill Biden. And in a modern twist, lead attorney Benjamin Crump played the call on speaker phone – with the discussion instantly beamed around the world on social media and cable news.
'Feeling better now,' Biden told tearful family members and listeners who gathered around Crump's phone.
'Nothing is going to make it all better. But at least, God, now there's some justice,' Biden said.
Biden referenced comments by Floyd's daughter, Gianna, that her late father was going to change the world. 'He's going to start to change it now,' Biden told the group.
Biden previously revealed he also called the family Monday, with the outcome uncertain – and as the White House noted repeatedly, the jury was sequestered.
He told the family afterward: 'You're an incredible family. I wish I were there – just [to] put my arms around you.'
He told them he was with White House advisor, former Rep. Cedric Richmond of Louisiana, while making the call, which Biden made from the Oval Office.
'We've been watching every second of this, and the vice president, all of us. We were all so relieved, not just one verdict but all three,' Biden said.
Crump tweeted out video of the exchange.
'It's really important. I'm anxious to see you guys, I really am. We're going to get a lot more done,' he promised them. 'We're going to stay at it until we get it done,' Biden said.
That prompted Crump to push Biden to act on and sign the George Floyd policing act, which is stalled in the Senate.
'You got it pal. That and a lot more,' Biden promised. He said the outcome 'provided a fresh shot at dealing with genuine systemic racism.'
Harris, the nation's first black and first female vice president, also spoke.
'I'm just so grateful for the entire family,' she said, saluting 'your courage, your commitment.'
'This is a day of justice in America,' Harris said. She called the family 'real leaders when we needed you.'
'History will look back at this moment and know that it was an inflection moment,' she said. 'We're going to make something good come out of this tragedy, okay?' she said.
Then Biden chimed back in. 'When we do it, we're going to put you on Air Force One and get you here,' he said, prompting laughs.
'We're going to hold you to that, President Biden,' Crump responded.
PUBLISHED: 22:53 EDT, 20 April 2021 | UPDATED: 07:23 EDT, 21 April 2021
