Video Editor: Mohd Ibrahim
The funeral for George Floyd was held at Fountain of Praise church in Houston, US on Tuesday, 9 June. He was then laid to rest next to the grave of his mother, Larcenia Floyd. Apart from his family members, more than 500 mourners attended the funeral.
Several policemen, including Houston police chief Art Acevedo had also participated in the event. When Floyd’s golden casket arrived at the church, many police officers were caught on camera saluting the casket and also offering their respect to Floyd.
Several policemen from Texas Southern University stood guard at the church entrance, wearing face masks printed with Floyd's dying words, ‘I can’t breathe.’
When I see my NASCAR drivers...recognizing and acknowledging that Black lives matter — people that have never in their lifetimes said those words — that’s a new movement.Art Acevedo, Houston Police Chief
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner attended Floyd’s funeral. Frey broke down at the funeral, kneeling next to Floyd’s casket. ‘In this city, we will ban chokeholds and strangleholds,’ Turner said at George Floyd's funeral.
46 year-old George Floyd died after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes on 25 May, The video of the event had gone viral and sparked massive outrage and protests across the country.
Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder. Three other officers have also been charged as accomplices.
Floyd's family members, most dressed in white, were led into the church by the Reverend Al Sharpton, the civil rights activist. The Fountain of Praise Church in southern Houston was filled with music and words of fond remembrance for a kind and gifted man. Hundreds of people, some chanting, “Say his name, George Floyd,” gathered along the procession route and outside the cemetery entrance.
Geroge Floyd’s funeral also heard impassioned pleas for racial justice and a heartfelt message from Republican President Donald Trump's Democratic opponent in the November presidential election, Joe Biden.
Now is the time for racial justice. That’s the answer we must give to our children when they ask, Why? Because when there’s justice for George Floyd, we will truly be on our way to racial justice in America. And then, as you said, Gianna, your daddy will have changed the world . Grief is a heavy burden to bear — and it’s even harder with the eyes of the world watching. I know. But that burden is now a purpose — to change the world for the better in the name of George Floyd.Joe Biden, US Presidential Candidate
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)