KANSAS CITY, Mo. — While parts of the country broke out in celebration, reactions to the guilty verdict in Derek Chauvin's murder trial were subdued Tuesday afternoon at the 18th & Vine District.
Those who watched the verdict said what happened should be the ordinary, not the exception – Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, was found guilty of first- and second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd.
But the images of Floyd's murder won't fade anytime soon – they're seared in the minds of many, including those at 18OV Barber and Salon.
"It’s a good step forward from a justice perspective," Joey Thomas, owner of 18OV Barber and Salon said. "I don't know necessarily know if this was a decision that was made because of pressure or was it a decision that was made just because of justice."
Thomas said wishes the men killed by police locally would receive as much attention as Floyd did.
"When the police lights get behind me, I get a knot in my stomach," Thomas said. "I don't get it not in my stomach. Because I'm thinking like, without breaking any kind of law, I get a knot in my stomach. And I'm thinking like, is this going to be the last day I'm about to be alive?"
Down the street, the same clergy members who were worried about protests following the verdict delivered a common message:
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"Black America feels as though we've gotten a bit of justice. But what we have to remember is that this is only one battle," Pastor Gregory Nichols, with Mt. Horeb Baptist ministries, said. "We got to get point where we look at each other as citizens of this single community."
There's also the hope that law enforcement can learn from Chauvin's conviction.
"That this be taken serious at all times, you know, for the sake of our lives," Wayne Kimble, who watched verdict, said.
While large gatherings didn't occur Tuesday, a vigil for Black lives is planned for 7 p.m. Saturday night at Kansas City, Missouri, City Hall.
