Hundreds pack Houston church for George

Floyd funeral
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Private service follows 3 public events in as many states to commemorate

Floyd, killed on May 25

The Associated Press · Posted: Jun 09, 2020 9:25 AM ET | Last Updated: 36 minutes ago

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Hundreds of mourners packed a Houston church Tuesday for the private funeral of
George Floyd, to be followed by burial, capping six days of mourning for the black
man whose death inspired a global reckoning over police brutality and racial
injustice.

Floyd, who was 46, will be laid to rest next to his mother in Pearland, Texas. On May
25, as a white Minneapolis officer pressed a knee on Floyd's neck, the dying man
cried out for his mother.

While the service was private, at least 50 people gathered outside the Fountain of
Praise Church to pay their respects.

"There's a real big change going on and everybody, especially Black, right now
should be a part of that," said Kersey Biagase, who travelled more than three hours
from Port Barre, Louisiana, with his girlfriend, Brandi Pickney.

The couple wore matching T-shirts she designed, printed with Floyd's name and the
phrase "I Can't Breathe," the words he uttered before his death

Several police officers from Texas Southern University stood guard at the sanctuary
entrance, wearing face masks also printed with Floyd's dying words. The historically
Black school is next to the Houston housing project where Floyd grew up.
Members of the Texas Southern University police department pause during the
funeral service for George Floyd in Houston. (David J. Phillip/The Associated Press)
Mourners, including Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee and Al Green, both Democrats from
the Houston area, and the city's police chief, Art Acevedo, filed in. Nearly all the
pews were full, with relatively little space between people.

"So much for social distancing today," the Rev. Remus Wright told mourners, gently
but firmly instructing those attending to don face masks because of the pandemic.

Many people fanned themselves with paper fans bearing an image of Floyd.

Dozens of Floyd's family members, most dressed in white, were led into the
sanctuary by the Rev. Al Sharpton, the civil rights activist. They were joined by
rapper Trae tha Truth, who helped organize a march last week in Houston attended
by 60,000 people.

Floyd "often spoke about being world famous one day, and he has managed to
make that happen in his death," the funeral program said.
The funeral came one day after about 6,000 people attended a public memorial
Monday in Houston, waiting for hours under baking sun to pay their respects to
Floyd, whose body lay in an open gold-coloured casket.

As the hearse drove away, 39-year-old Daniel Osarobo, a Houston resident who
immigrated from Nigeria, could be heard saying, "Rest in power. Rest In Peace."

"I've been stopped by police. I understand the situation. I can only imagine," said
Osarobo, who works as an engineer in the oil and gas industry. "What if it was me?
What if it was my brother? What if it was my sister? What if it was my son?"

Those were questions many black Americans have asked not just in recent weeks,
but for decades.

Rev. Al Sharpton, left, speaks with Quincy Mason Floyd, son of George Floyd, before
the funeral Tuesday at Fountain of Praise Church in Houston. (Godofredo A.
Vásquez/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Four Minneapolis officers were charged in connection with Floyd's death, which was
captured on video by bystanders.

Floyd's death sparked international protests and drew new attention to the
treatment of African Americans in the U.S. by police and the criminal justice system.
In the past two weeks, sweeping and previously unthinkable things have taken
place: Confederate statues have been toppled, police departments around America
have rethought the way they patrol minority neighbourhoods, legislatures have
debated use-of-force policies, and white, black and brown people have had
uncomfortable, sometimes heated, discussions about race in a nation that is
supposed to ensure equal opportunity for all.

'We will get justice'

Calls for police reform have cropped up in many communities, and people around
the world have taken to the streets in solidarity, saying that reforms and dialogue
must not stop with Floyd's funeral.
A singer performs by Floyd's casket as mourners arrive for the service on
Tuesday. (David J. Phillip/The Associated Press)
The memorials have drawn the families of black victims in other high-profile killings
whose names have become seared into America's conversations on race — among
them Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Ahmaud Arbery and Trayvon Martin.

"It just hurts," said Philonise Floyd, George Floyd's brother, sobbing as he ticked off
some of their names outside The Fountain of Praise church. "We will get justice. We
will get it. We will not let this door close."

 George Floyd's former roommate remembers his friend: 'Every day ... I
see his face'

 Amid protests, funerals offer a space for collective mourning — and

fighting anti-Black oppression

For 14 nights, hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets in protest
of police brutality and racial inequality.

Cities imposed curfews as some of the demonstrations were later marred by

spasms of arson, assaults and smash-and-grab raids on businesses. More than
10,000 people have been arrested around the country, according to reports tracked
by The Associated Press.

But protests in recent days have been overwhelmingly peaceful — and over the
weekend, several police departments appeared to retreat from aggressive tactics.