He had left Texas to start a new life in Minneapolis, in the north of United States. But George Floyd, this black American described as a generous man, who lost his job during the crisis due to the pandemic, East dead face down, neck under the knee of a white policeman.
“Everyone loved my brother”, said Philonese Floyd Tuesday, May 26, the day after the death that caused protests in several cities and revived the calls to end it a racism “Systemic” in America.“He’s a sweet giant”, he told CNN. “He never hurts anyone”.
The 46-year-old deceased first found work as a truck driver in Minnesota, then as a security guard at a restaurant, the Conga Latin Bistro, before the confinement hit business.
“He made us feel safe”Luz Maria Gonzalez, a regular customer of the establishment, testified to public radio NPR. “At the end of the evening he said Hey Luz, I will wait with you until you get in the taxi. “
“Make an impact on the world”
Others have talked about the steps George Floyd was taking to improve his life.
“I remember he said he wanted to touch the world. He wanted to make an impact on the world ”Jonathan Veal, a childhood friend, told KPRC in Houston where they went to Jack Yates High School together.
From a height of two meters, George Floyd had shone in the basketball and the Football, and also tried hip hop. But he ended up leaving Houston because he couldn’t find a job there.
Mr. Veal said he last spoke to his friend in January, via text message. There is “Little things that I have to deal with for my little ones”, wrote George Floyd. “My faith is coming back to where it needs to be. “
But on May 25, as shown in a multi-minute video that went viral, George Floyd died after policeman pressed his knee to his neck while down on the street, unarmed and handcuffed.
“Please, please, I can’t breathe”we hear him say.
Police suspected he used a counterfeit $ 20 bill to buy cigarettes after a grocery store worker called the 911 emergency number.
“Change your life”
For Bridgett Floyd, the death of his brother as well, at the hands of the police, “Is to break the heart”. “This is exactly what they did. They killed my brother. He cried out for help “, she told NBC News.
Four police officers fired after the death of George Floyd. Derek Chauvin, the one who kept his knee on his neck, was arrested Friday and charged with manslaughter.
George Floyd “Was nothing less than an angel sent to earth”reacted his girlfriend, Courtney Ross, to CBS News. “And we demonized him, and we killed him”, she added.
George Floyd had, according to the American media, two children. Roxie Washington, the mother of her six-year-old daughter in Houston, described him as a devoted father. “Because he was so tall, people thought he was looking for a fight”she said, quoted by the Houston Chronicle. “But he was a loving person, and he loved his daughter. “
One of George Floyd’s longtime friends, Stephen Jackson became an NBA star. What has not changed their friendship, assures the sportsman.
“We were called Twin”said visibly moved Jackson in an Instagram video.
“He was changing his life”, moving to Minnesota for work to support his children, he said.
“My boy was doing everything right, and they killed me. “
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