‘Exception not the rule’: What’s next after Chauvin conviction?

Chauvin will likely appeal the conviction, as advocates hope the guilty verdict will spur greater police reforms.

The conviction of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin was met with a sigh of relief of activists, legislators, US citizens and officials, many of whom have long called for accountability in the killings of unarmed Black people in the country. It also had many – including US President Joe Biden – asking what comes next, and calling for greater police reform and support for communities of colour. On social media, many pointed to the initial Minneapolis Police Department’s version of Floyd’s death, which said Floyd died “after a medical incident during a police interaction” and did not mention that Chauvin had kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes, as proof of just how precarious police accountability remains in the US.