A moment of silence for convicted former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin at the Minnesota GOP’s state convention in Duluth on May 30 has triggered swift backlash from civil rights attorneys and Democratic lawmakers, who called the gesture harmful and
For many delegates at the Minnesota Republican Party’s state convention in Duluth, the day moved forward like any other convention—until a moment of silence for Derek Chauvin appeared on the floor.
It was held on May 30. during the party’s annual gathering. and it landed just days after the sixth anniversary of George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis. Within days. the choice became the story. pulling national attention toward a gesture tied to a case that reshaped policing and racial-justice debates across the United States.
The Minnesota GOP now insists it was never leadership’s idea.
In a Facebook post dated Monday. June 1. state party officials said the recognition of Chauvin—who was convicted in the 2020 killing of Floyd—emerged from a spontaneous delegate motion on the convention floor. They said leadership did not initiate or endorse the gesture and that it was not part of the official program.
In a statement. the Republican Party of Minnesota said the recognition originated as a delegate request during floor proceedings in Duluth. Party officials emphasized that convention chair Danny Nadeau and other leadership roles were procedural only. saying presiding over the motion did not reflect agreement with or endorsement of its subject matter. Officials reiterated that the convention agenda did not include any planned recognition of Chauvin.
State leaders, civil rights attorneys, and Democratic lawmakers condemned the action quickly after it drew public attention, describing it as deeply harmful to Floyd’s family and inconsistent with accountability under the law.
Minnesota’s top law enforcement official who prosecuted Chauvin did not soften the language.
In a sharp response, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison—who led the prosecution of Chauvin—called the gesture an “act of profound cruelty” toward the Floyd family. Ellison said the timing, so close to the anniversary of Floyd’s death, compounded the harm.
He said honoring Chauvin “dishonors the memory of George Floyd and wounds his loved ones all over again. ” and called it “disturbing” to recognize someone convicted of violating his oath as a police officer. Ellison also said the action was “disrespectful” to law enforcement officers who serve honorably. and he reaffirmed that courts had already upheld Chauvin’s conviction through multiple appeals.
The dispute broadened beyond legal arguments into a moral and political clash over whom public rituals should honor.
Democratic state Rep. Jamie Long called the moment of silence “disgusting,” saying Republicans chose to honor a convicted murderer rather than victims of violence or service members.
Civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci. who represented George Floyd’s family in its civil case after his death. also criticized the gesture. They called the moment of silence immoral and demanded a retraction and apology. saying it disrespected both the Floyd family and the broader public record of Chauvin’s conviction.
The underlying case is now recited in detail by critics and defenders alike, because it’s impossible to separate the gesture from what happened.
Floyd was killed on May 25, 2020, when Chauvin, a white former Minneapolis police officer, knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes. Chauvin was later convicted of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter, and sentenced to 22½ years in state prison.
That killing sparked global protests and became a defining moment in the Black Lives Matter movement, feeding national debates over policing in the United States.
Chauvin’s conviction has been upheld through multiple appeals, including a denial by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2023, and he is serving his sentence in federal custody.
Even as the criticism intensified, the Minnesota GOP says its focus is moving forward.
Party officials said despite the controversy, their attention remains on candidate endorsements and upcoming elections rather than the floor action that triggered the backlash.
Still, the episode has already put a hard question back into public view: when a party’s convention reaches for silence in a criminal case that sits at the center of national reckoning, who carries the responsibility—the delegates who raise the motion, or the leadership that presides over it?
Minnesota GOP Derek Chauvin moment of silence Duluth convention Keith Ellison Ben Crump Antonio Romanucci George Floyd political fallout policing racial justice