Hope that George Floyd's legacy will be a real change ....

THROUGH tears george floyd’s girlfriend Courteney ross told me that he wouldn’t believe “all this” – everything that has happened as a consequence of his death.

- Sally Lockwood

A global movement calling for racial justice. A criminal trial covered by the world media. Messages of support from the President. A federal investigation into the Minneapolis police force.

Does this represent a watershed moment? You don’t need to go far in Minneapolis to hear someone say local law enforcement is racist, that black people are discriminated against, that if you file a complaint you suffer police harassment.

Minneapolis may be no worse than other cities in much of America but what happened to George Floyd here has driven a national conversation about institutional racism, police reform and accountability.

Minneapolis saw riots when George Floyd, below, was killed – but when the verdict came for the officer accused of his murder there was a silence just as memorable.

The crowded area around the courthouse fell quiet. The city held its breath. Out of the silence a shout of “guilty!” and Minneapolis exploded with emotion.

A young black woman in front of me fell to her knees with her eyes closed. When she opened them she was crying.

Derek Chauvin is the first white police officer to be convicted for the death of a black citizen in the state of Minnesota.