It was an emotional day for thousands as they thronged to the Fountain of Praise church to pay their respects to George Floyd ahead of his funeral Tuesday.
Floyd, who died while being detained by Minneapolis, Minnesota, police on Memorial Day, was a native of Houston’s Third Ward.
Prominent attendees of the public visitation included Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, Rev. Al Sharpton, attorney Ben Crump and members of Floyd’s family including his brothers Philonise and Rodney. Families of other victims of racial violence including Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Ahmaud Arbery and Botham Jean were also in attendance to support the family.
‘Just hurts a lot': George Floyd’s brothers, Rev. Al Sharpton, Ben Crump and families of other victims give emotional speeches at public memorial
Former Vice President and Presidential Candidate Joe Biden also flew to Houston privately meet with the Floyd family on the day of the public visitation. Biden will not attend the funeral Tuesday, his aides said, as he does not want to create disruptions on the solemn day with his presence.
While the official number of mourners attending the public visitation has not yet been released, organizers told KPRC 2 that they prepared for and were expecting at least 10,000.
Floyd’s funeral will be held at the same church Tuesday.
See our blog of Monday’s coverage below:
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