Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced on Friday to 22 ½ years in prison for the murder of George Floyd.
Chauvin, who is white, was seen kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes while making an arrest, leading to his death. Floyd is Black.
The death sparked outrage and protest across the country and the world and a conversation about police officers’ interactions with the Black community.
Some New Jersey residents say that while they are satisfied with Chauvin’s sentence, there is still much to be done to improve race relations.
“I believe that justice was served. It doesn’t mean that things will change,” says one New Jersey resident named Chad.
Others say that there was so much evidence against Chauvin, that it would have been impossible not to convict in this case.
“I guess he got what he deserved, for the simple fact that no one deserves to be treated in that manner,” Mike West, of Caldwell, says regarding Floyd.
Police departments across the nation, including in New Jersey, issued new guidelines for police interactions in the wake of Floyd’s death.
"He has caused some changes to happen in this country. Some people to have the knowledge they didn't have but it's still not enough because we have a man that only got 22 years for murdering someone on TV,” says Yaa Asantewaa Nzingha, of Brooklyn.
But some say that not much will change in the wake of the sentencing. A statue of Floyd that was erected outside Newark City Hall earlier this week was defaced with white supremacist graffiti only a few days later.
“It just goes to show that the justice system is one-sided,” says Newark resident Michele Trucidino of Chauvin’s sentencing.
The three other officers involved in Floyd's arrest are scheduled for trial in March.