WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Wednesday issued the following statement following the announcement that Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison will elevate charges against the former Minneapolis police officer who murdered George Floyd while adding charges of aiding and abetting murder against the other three officers at the scene. Murphy also praised the peaceful protests taking place across Connecticut and the rest of the world in response to Floyd’s death.

“These new charges brought against the officers responsible for George Floyd’s death are an important step toward justice. The horrific police brutality the world saw perpetrated against George Floyd—in broad daylight—has been happening in black and brown communities too often and for too long. As a country, we have so far failed to build an equitable society, and that is why I stand with the peaceful protestors in Connecticut and across the country who are speaking out against these injustices and demanding change,” said Murphy

Murphy concluded: “We need to implement policing reforms immediately, but real, lasting change is going to require us to address the root causes of systemic racism. This includes reforming our criminal justice system, fixing the deep inequities present in our education and health care systems, and ensuring all of our communities have equal economic opportunity. Among other tragedies of this moment, we must not forget that communities of color have been hit the hardest by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic because they lack access to proper care, and are more likely to have underlying health conditions. As lawmakers, we have a ton of work ahead of us to make sure that this isn't one of these moments where politicians listen, but fail to follow through.”

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