On May 25, 2020, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a forty-six-year-old black man of Afro-American descent named George Floyd got arrested by Caucasian Police Officer named Derek Chauvin. The officer sat on the neck of Floyd for eight minutes showing no remorse to his pleas. The onlookers and the security cameras near the area captured the video of the incident that became public. All the four police officers who were part of the incident got fired. The brutal death of Floyd stirred many people to join in the protests and riots against racism. Find more details about the terrible incident that shocked the world.
Background information
George Floyd’s date of birth is October 14, 1973, and his place of birth is Fayetteville, North Carolina. The names of his parents are George Perry and Larcenia “Cissy” Jones Floyd. Other than him his parents had four kids. When Floyd’s parents got separated he went to live in Cuney Homes public housing. It was the oldest neighborhood in the town and also the poorest. The people closest to him called him Perry and Big Floyd. He was six feet in height when he was in college and was also interested in sports.
Floyd studied in Yates High School and joined the basketball team and played as a power forward. He was the first child in his family to go to college. People who knew him described him as a “Gentle Giant”.
Career
George Floyd took up several jobs in his lifetime. He worked as a basketball player and automotive customizer in 1995. He also became a rapper and performed in the name of Big Floyd. From 1995 to 2005 he got arrested eight times on many charges such as theft, trespass, and drug possession. After getting out of jail he took part in church ministries and helped Angel By Nature Foundation.
Then in 2015, he started to work as a truck driver and bouncer in Minneapolis. He resided at St. Louis Park. He became a security officer for the Salvation Army facility in 2018 and then in 2019, he became a security guard for the El Nuevo Rodeo club. This is the place where Officer Derek Chauvin also worked off-duty. But because of the COVID 19 pandemic, Floyd’s work got affected and he also contracted the COVID 19. He was trying to recover from it.
Personal life
Floyd has a total of five children. His two teenage daughters and an adult son are living in Bryan, Texas. His ex-wife named Roxie Washington is living with his young daughter in Houston. Floyd also has two grandkids. Many people donated money to defray the costs of Floyd’s funeral and also to assist his family.
The brutal death of George Floyd
The sources claim that Floyd got arrested because of using counterfeit $20 bill at a store to buy cigarettes. The four police officers came to arrest Floyd and they handcuffed both of his hands and made him lie on the street on his back. They restrained him using a lot of force. Mainly, Derek Chauvin used his knee to press Floyd’s neck for eight minutes straight without allowing him to breathe. The officers did not allow the onlookers to intervene and in the last minutes, Floyd was without any movement. Until the ambulance arrived Chauvin placed his knee on Floyd’s neck.
Later the autopsy of Floyd revealed that he died because of cardiopulmonary arrest and classified it as a homicide. After the video and the terrible death news of Floyd circulated all over the world, people started to talk about the unnecessary force used by police to arrest black people. It also led to riots and protests in four hundred cities all over the US. Many believe that the legacy of Floyd’s death will lead to social reform.
Conclusion
George Floyd’s death caused many people to speak out loud about the injustice happening in the world. The racist attitudes of the people need to change because all people are equal.
