George Perry Floyd Jr. (1973-2020) - African American killed during arrest in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020.
Protests in response to Floyd's death and, more broadly, police violence against other blacks quickly spread throughout the United States and then around the world.
There are many interesting facts in the biography of George Floyd, which we will talk about in this article.
So, here is a short biography of George Floyd Jr.
Biography of George Floyd
George Floyd was born on October 14, 1973 in North Carolina (USA). He grew up in a poor family with many children, with six brothers and sisters.
His parents divorced when George was barely 2 years old, after which his mother moved with the children to Houston (Texas), where the boy spent his entire childhood.
Childhood and youth
During his school years, George Floyd made strides in basketball and American football. Curiously, he helped his team get to the Texas City Football Championship.
After graduation, Floyd continued his education at South Florida Community College, where he was also actively involved in sports. Over time, he transferred to the local University of Kingsville, playing for the student basketball team. It is worth noting that later the guy decided to quit his studies.
Friends and relatives called George “Perry” and spoke of him as “a gentle giant”. An interesting fact is that his height was 193 cm, with a weight of 101 kg.
Over time, George Floyd returned to Houston, where he tuned cars and played for the amateur soccer team. In his spare time, he performed in the hip-hop group Screwed Up Click under the stage name Big Floyd.
It is noteworthy that the African American was one of the first to contribute to the development of hip-hop in the city. In addition, Floyd was the headman of the local Christian religious community.
Crime and arrests
After some time, George was repeatedly arrested for theft and drug possession. During the biography of 1997-2005. he was sentenced to imprisonment 8 times for committing various crimes.
In 2007, Floyd, along with 5 accomplices, was accused of armed robbery of a house. A couple of years later, he confessed to the crime, as a result of which he was sentenced to 5 years in prison.
After a 4-year arrest, George was released on parole. He later settled in Minnesota, where he worked as a truck driver and bouncer. In 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a man lost his job as a security guard in a bar and restaurant.
In April of the same year, Floyd fell ill with COVID-19, but was able to recover after a few weeks. It is worth noting that he was the father of five children, including 2 daughters aged 6 and 22, as well as an adult son.
Death of George Floyd
On May 25, 2020, Floyd was arrested for allegedly using counterfeit money to buy cigarettes. He died as a result of the actions of police officer Derek Chauvin, who pressed his knee to the neck of the detainee.
As a result, the policeman held him in this position for 8 minutes 46 seconds, which led to the death of George. It is worth noting that at this moment Floyd was handcuffed, and 2 other policemen helped Chauvin restrain the African American.
Floyd repeated several times that he could not breathe, begging for water to drink and reminding him of the unbearable pain throughout his body. For the last 3 minutes, he didn’t say a single word and didn’t even move. When his pulse disappeared, law enforcement officers did not provide an ambulance to him.
Moreover, Derek Chauvin kept a knee around George Floyd's neck even when the arriving doctors tried to resuscitate the detainee. Soon, the guy was taken to Hennepin County Hospital, where doctors announced the death of the patient.
An autopsy revealed that George had died of cardiopulmonary failure. It is important to note that experts found traces of several psychoactive substances in his blood, which could indirectly contribute to the death of the detainee.
After that, Floyd's relatives hired a pathologist named Michael Baden to conduct an independent examination. As a result, Baden came to the conclusion that George's death was due to suffocation caused by incessant pressure.
After the death of George Floyd, protests began around the world against the use of excessive force by law enforcement agencies and the lack of police impunity. Many such rallies were accompanied by robberies of shops and protesters' aggression.
There is not a single state left in the United States where actions in support of Floyd and condemnation of the actions of the police were held. On May 28, states of emergency were introduced in Minnesota and St. Paul for three days. In addition, over 500 National Guard soldiers were involved in establishing order.
During the riots, law enforcement officers detained about one and a half thousand protesters. In America, at least 11 people died, most of whom were African Americans.
Memorials and heritage
After the incident, memorial services began to be held around the world to coincide with the death of Floyd. At North Central University, Minneapolis, a Fellowship was established. George Floyd. Since then, similar scholarships have been established in a number of other US educational institutions.
In different cities and countries, street artists began to create colored graffiti in honor of Floyd. An interesting fact is that in Houston he was portrayed in the form of an angel, and in Naples - a saint crying blood. There were also many drawings in which Derek Chauvin presses the African American's neck with his knee.
The period of time the policeman kept his knee on George's neck (8 minutes 46 seconds) was widely celebrated as a "minute of silence" in honor of Floyd.
Photo by George Floyd
