NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — A growing crowd gathered outside the Barclays Center on Tuesday afternoon following the guilty verdict in Derek Chauvin's murder trial in the death of George Floyd.
There was a joyous reaction across the city as the news broke that the former Minneapolis police officer had been found guilty on all three charges, including the top count of second-degree murder.
From Park Slope to Times Square, people in their cars listening to the guilty verdict being read on the radio cheered and honked their horns.
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There were also tears among the crowd outside the Barclays Center, with some saying the verdict is just one step in a long journey for justice for people of color in this country.
The joy is a muted one — sense of celebration tinged with grief, as it took a loss of life and months of protests to bring accountability to the police.
Natasha of East Flatbush told WCBS 880's Steve Burns that when she heard the guilty verdict the first thing she thought was, "God is good."
But at the same time she adds, "We have a long way to go because even though we found him guilty, guilty and guilty there's a lot of other things going on that need to be adjusted."
"I love the verdict but there's still work to be done because we want police reform," said Ingrid from Crown Heights. "We want justice for all people that have been killed by the police.
Mayoral candidate Maya Wiley addressed the crowd saying, "We knew before a jury was even impaneled that it was murder, but today we celebrate that it's justice and not just us. But we also stand here today recognizing that the job is not done. Not by a long shot."
The LED sign that rings the plaza, which is usually filled with advertising, had a steady white screen with a quote from the late civil rights activist John Lewis in black text that reads, "We will stand up for what is right, for what is fair, and what is just."
Police were on the scene to monitor the gathering and set up barricades on both ends of the plaza, which was the epicenter of protests in the wake of Floyd's death last May.
Barricades were also seen going up outside Trump Tower in Midtown and around Columbus Circle.
The NYPD had been preparing for demonstrations for weeks, conducting drills and tabletop exercises to avoid confrontation. The department also told officers not to take any unscheduled days off in anticipation of widespread protests.
Police Commissioner Dermot Shea urged for peace and calm ahead of the verdict.
"If there is a situation where there is going to be protests or things of that nature that we all agree that we just want to do it calmly and peacefully with no injuries, no property damage," Shea said last week.
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