Derek Chauvin

George Floyd's death was viewed as a reckoning for many police departments and communities grappling with civil rights abuses. But those fighting for change say results have proved to be difficult.

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin will be sentenced Friday for killing George Floyd last year in May. A jury found Chauvin guilty on three counts in April.

Though it's highly rare for a police officer to be handed such a heavy sentence, many expressed disappointment. Others see it as a winning precedent that promises future accountability.

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with George Floyd's brother, Philonise, and the Floyd family attorney, Benjamin Crump, about Derek Chauvin's sentence of 22 1/2 years for the murder of George Floyd.

"It's important to acknowledge how far we've come. Those who raised their voices to demand justice for George Floyd need to know that their activism made a difference," the family said.

Chauvin "treated Mr. Floyd without respect and denied him the dignity owed to all human beings," wrote Judge Peter Cahill, adding an additional 10 years to Chauvin's presumptive sentence.

On Friday, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 1/2 years for the murder of George Floyd. A jury found Chauvin guilty on three counts in April.

On Friday, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years for the murder of George Floyd.

NPR's Ailsa Chang interviews Andrea Jenkins, vice president of the Minneapolis City Council, about Derek Chauvin's sentence in the death of George Floyd. She lives close to where he was killed.

The former Minneapolis police officer gave his condolences to George Floyd's family. He also said, without explanation, there would be "some other information in the future that would be of interest."

She said in a victim impact video played in court that when she is someday reunited with her father, she wants to "play with him, have fun. Go on a plane ride. And that's it."

"For an entire year, I had to relive George being tortured to death every hour of the day," Philonise Floyd said during his victim impact statement in court.