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Seattle police accountability advocate welcomes verdict

SEATTLE — Decades before this summer’s huge rallies for racial justice, Seattle’s Harriet Walden was leading Mothers for Police Accountability.

Today’s three guilty verdicts for George Floyd’s killer brought her to tears.

“Oh man, I’m just thinking about him calling his mother,” she said, sharing what went through her mind as the verdicts were read.

Seattle’s Walden founded Mothers for Police Accountability 31 years ago.

“(George Floyd) changed the world. His untimely murder has changed the world in a lot of ways. I mean, in this state, Washington going to have some accountability that’s going to come out, the governor’s going to sign,” she said.

And a law that requires officers to intervene when a fellow officer misuses force was just passed today and sent to Gov. Jay Inslee’s desk.

“If you are standing by, and somebody’s getting harmed, then you need to do something. That’s going to be a game-changer,” Walden said.