RAEFORD — The memorial service for George Floyd, a man killed in police custody last week in Minneapolis, will be held Saturday in Raeford.
Floyd’s sister, a Hoke County resident, told WRAL News last week that her brother was born in Fayetteville and that his family would remember him in North Carolina.
A memorial service is planned for Saturday, June 6, at Cape Fear Conference B Headquarters, 10225 Fayetteville Road in Raeford.
A public viewing will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., followed by a private, family-only service.
In announcing that his county would host the service, Sheriff Hubert Peterkin asked that mourners respect the family’s grief.
“The memorial is about the life that Mr. George Floyd lived, and this is a time to embrace the family with expressions of love and kindness,” he wrote.
Floyd’s death was captured in a video that went viral. In it, a white police officer kneels on Floyd’s neck. He can be heard saying, “I can’t breathe” before losing consciousness. Minneapolis Police Department officer Derek Chauvin was arrested and charged with third degree murder and manslaughter in connection with Floyd’s death.
Family remembers Floyd as a gentle man, calls for end to riots
Bridget Floyd described her 46-year-old brother, who stood 6 feet 4 inches tall, as a gentle giant and a religious man.
Many of George Floyd’s relatives live in our area, including an uncle in Raleigh.
Roger Floyd is the owner of an All State agency off Six Forks Road.
He remembered the day Floyd was born. His brother became a new father shouting, “I got a boy, Rog! I got a boy!”
He remembered getting the phone call that his nephew–Perry Junior is what they called Lloyd–had been killed by a police officer.
He said his “throat clogged up.”
In the video, his nephew lay on the ground, a police officer’s knee on his neck.
“And then what broke my heart more than anything else was when he called out for his mom,” said Roger. “I believed that he was dying at that point because [his mother] had already passed.”
George Floyd’s mom passed away from cancer a couple of years ago.
Roger Floyd says his nephew had been a counselor for young people in Minneapolis and worked security, often alongside the officer accused of killing him.
“I really think it was something personal. Something may have happened– because with his gentle spirit and the way he carried himself, he just had the persona where people were just readily attracted to him.”
Protests tarnish Floyd’s memory
He is encouraged by the national outrage. But he’s angered when peaceful protests erupt into vandalism and looting.
“I would say stop this. It’s uncalled for. There’s no justification in doing that, not at all.”
When they do, he says, they only mar his nephew’s memory.
And they risk having the message lost in all the noise.
Republished with permission from WRAL. The original story can be found here.
