Attorneys for the family of George Floyd are calling on Minnesota Republican Party leaders to apologize for a moment of silence held at the party convention for the former police officer convicted in Floyd’s murder.
At last weekend’s GOP convention in Duluth, a delegate made a motion for a moment of silence for Derek Chauvin, who is alive and serving a lengthy prison sentence. The convention’s presiding officer on Saturday morning put it to a voice vote of those in attendance, who supported the motion — and the moment of silence was observed, lasting about 10 seconds.
The Floyd family’s attorneys, including civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, issued a statement Tuesday saying they are “sickened by this lack of respect.”
“The audacity of the Minnesota Republican Party to honor an individual who has both been convicted by a jury of his peers for the murder of a fellow human being, while at the same time violated a professional oath to protect and serve his community, is disgusting,” the statement read.
The attorneys said they “urge all who planned and participated in this tribute to deeply reflect on the rule of law.”
Among others condemning the moment of silence, Democratic Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison — whose office prosecuted Chauvin following the killing of Floyd in 2020 — issued a statement saying he was “heartbroken and frankly shocked.”
“George Floyd’s children lost their father. His siblings lost their brother. His community lost a neighbor and friend. That loss is permanent and irreparable. The jury heard all the evidence. The appeals courts reviewed every claim. Justice was rendered according to our system of law,” Ellison wrote.
“To honor the man convicted of murdering George Floyd — days after the very anniversary of that terrible day — is an act of profound cruelty to the Floyd family and to every Minnesotan who believes in accountability under law.”
In a statement to KARE 11, Minnesota Republican Party officials called what happened Saturday “a spontaneous motion brought forward from the convention floor.”
“A moment of silent prayer should not be mischaracterized as an official policy position, platform statement, or message from the Republican Party of Minnesota. It was a floor action taken by delegates, not leadership,” the statement read.
Republican-endorsed Minnesota governor candidate Kendall Qualls said he was not involved in the motion — and he said he was surprised by it.
Qualls said he would have recommended a broader moment of silence to support law enforcement officers.
“They’ve been made to be scapegoats for the last eight to 10 years, and I would have had a moment of silence for officers that have fallen on duty,” he said. “There are some concerns that people have about the Chauvin case. I don’t know if that was the best venue to do that.”
House Speaker Lisa Demuth, who is running in the Republican governor primary, said she wasn’t in the room when the Chauvin matter arose. Like Qualls, she said she would have preferred a moment of silence for fallen officers instead.
She declined to say if she would support pardoning Chauvin, an issue that could come before the three-member pardons board that a Minnesota governor chairs.
“There’s a lot that goes into any type of decision,” Demuth said.
