George Floyd to Be Laid to Rest in Houston Hometown

George Floyd will be laid to rest in his hometown of Houston on Tuesday, culminating in a long farewell to the 46-year-old African American whose death in custody sparked global protests against police brutality and racism.

Thousands of well-wishers piled past Floyd’s coffin in a public viewing a day earlier, as a court set bail at $1 million for the white officer charged with his murder last month in Minneapolis.

Many made the sign of the cross as they approached the open casket to say a final farewell, while others took their knees or bowed their heads in silent prayer for a man who has become emblematic of America 's latest racial injustice.

The six-hour viewing at The Fountain of Praise church — which drew more than 6,000 people, organizers said — was the final stage in a series of ceremonies paying tribute to Floyd before he is buried beside his mother.

Tuesday’s funeral, starting at 11 am (1600 GMT), will be live-streamed, with civil rights leader the Reverend Al Sharpton delivering the eulogy.

Flowers were stacked high at the door to the church, attended by most of his relatives, in front of a picture of Floyd whose casket was scheduled at 9 a.m.

Some 500 guests are planned, including the boxing champion Floyd Mayweather, who is said to have paid all expenses.

Shiara DeLoach will not be inside the church, but she turned up at dawn nonetheless to pay her respects.

“This is a tough situation,” she told AFP. “Enough is enough, everybody with children and a heart can feel the pain.

“A lot of changes have to come. Everyone must be treated equal. It is very emotional and heartbreaking.”

– Police reform calls –

A day earlier in Washington, Democratic lawmakers knelt in silent tribute to Floyd before unveiling a package of police reforms in

response to the killing of a litany of unarmed black Americans by law enforcement.

The congressional move came a day after the Minneapolis authorities pledged to dismantle and rebuild the police department in the city where Floyd died during a May 25 arrest for allegedly passing a counterfeit $20 bill.

Derek Chauvin, the 44-year-old white officer who was filmed pressing his knee on the handcuffed Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes, made his first court appearance on Monday.

The 19-year veteran, who appeared by videolink from prison, faces up to 40 years if convicted on charges of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and manslaughter.

His bail was set at $1 million with conditions or $1.25 million without.

Three other policemen involved in Floyd’s arrest are charged with aiding and abetting his murder. All four officers have been fired.

– Tough line from Trump –

Floyd was born in North Carolina but grew up in Houston's predominantly African American Third Ward, where he was remembered as a high school athlete and a good-natured friend.

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden flew to Houston on Monday for a private meeting with Floyd 's family.

In proposing a large-scale police reform law, Democrats reacted to one of the key requests of the protestors who have taken to the streets over the past two weeks in the most widespread US marches over social justice since the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968.

The Justice in Policing Act, introduced in both chambers of Congress, would make it easier to prosecute officers for abuse, and rethink how they are recruited and trained.

Some US cities have already begun to embrace reforms — starting with bans on the use of tear gas and rubber bullets.

But it is not clear what support the reform bill might find in the Republican-controlled Senate — or whether President Donald Trump would enact such legislation.

While condemning Floyd 's death, Trump took a tough approach to putting down protests and once again expressed his support for the police at a roundtable on law enforcement on Monday.

Trump has accused “Radical Left Democrats” of seeking to “defund the police,” but Democratic leaders did not include any such language in their bill and Biden has also flatly rejected the suggestion.

Source: AFP