National Urban League Condemns Minnesota GOP's Moment of Silence for Derek Chauvin

NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE CONDEMNS MINNESOTA GOP'S MOMENT OF SILENCE FOR DEREK CHAUVIN

NEW YORK (June 2, 2026) — National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial issued the following statement in response to the moment of silence for Derek Chauvin observed at the Minnesota Republican Convention: 

"With a public gesture honoring Derek Chauvan, delegates to the Minnesota Republican Convention have declared themselves champions of brutality, racial hostility, and the wanton abuse of authority

"The delegate who prompted the sordid spectacle later disgraced the memory of Bishop Desmond Tutu by invoking his words about neutrality in situations of injustice.

"Chauvin's conviction for the murder of George Floyd was a clear — and all-too-rare — instance of justice over police misconduct. Before his torture of Floyd was captured on video, shocking the world, Chauvin had a long history of excessive force. He is the unrepentant face of the unjustified violence and illegal racial discrimination that ran rampant in the Minneapolis Police Department and led to a consent decree.

"Minnesota's GOP delegates have not simply remained neutral in the face of this injustice; they overtly have chosen the side of the oppressor. The National Urban League condemns their action in the strongest possible terms. We call on every public official and advocate to do the same and urge the party members who selected these delegates to remove them immediately."