NEW YORK – With a collective nervous energy, millions of people paused in front of television sets or other screens Tuesday for a verdict in the case that for nearly a year has exposed the raw nerve of racial relations in America.
Three times they heard a Minnesota judge, Peter Cahill, read the jury's verdict declaring former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin guilty of murder and manslaughter for kneeling on the neck of a Black man, George Floyd, until he died last May.
Cahill's words led to a visible release of tension, both in the faces of news anchors onscreen and in crowds captured by cameras outside. “Thank you, Jesus,” responded anchor Don Lemon on CNN. “My stomach isn't in knots anymore,” said analyst Eddie Glaude on NBC. “I