Rep. Maxine Waters urges BLM protesters to ‘get more confrontational’ amid Derek Chauvin trial

Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin is currently on trial for murder, among a host of other charges, over the death of George Floyd, whose death became a flashpoint for Black Lives Matter-led protests last summer.

Speaking at a rally in Brooklyn Center on Saturday, Waters called on protesters to defy curfew and to “fight for justice.” She stated that she would not be satisfied if he received a sentence for manslaughter—only murder would count.

"I’m going to fight with all of the people who stand for justice," said Waters to reporters before the 11pm curfew. "We’ve got to get justice in this country and we cannot allow these killings to continue."

"We've got to stay on the street and we've got to get more active, we've got to get more confrontational,” she said. “We've got to make sure that they know that we mean business."

Waters added that she was “hopeful” Chauvin would be convicted of murder, and that if he isn’t, “we cannot go away.”

Waters used the opportunity to press her call for police reform, stating that Republicans would oppose her bill.

The Democrat congresswoman said that she plans to stay in Minnesota until Monday when closing arguments are expected to be made in the Chauvin trial.

Asked if she would stick around with the protesters and defy curfew, Waters fell short of saying she would and said she traveled to Brooklyn Center to support the protests.