George Floyd

Who Is George Floyd?

George Floyd was an African American man who lived in the United States. He became known around the world after a tragic event that sparked many talks about fairness and safety. People remember him for the hope he gave to many who want a kinder world. His story touched hearts far and wide and reminded us to care for each other.

Even though his life ended too soon, his name still brings people together. Many share his memory in calm voices and hopeful songs. He is seen as a gentle reminder that every person matters. The world still talks about him with respect and a warm heart.

Early Life and Background

George Floyd was born on October fourteen, nineteen seventy three.

Career and Claim to Fame

The official website is en.wikipedia.org wiki George Floyd.

Birthday, Age and Zodiac

George Floyd was born on October fourteen, nineteen seventy three. He is fifty three years old today. His zodiac sign is Libra. Libras are known for being fair and kind. They like balance and often help others feel calm.

People who read about George often notice his Libra traits. They see his gentle side and his wish for peace. The Libra sign adds a soft glow to his memory.

Fun Facts and Legacy

George Floyd was born on October fourteen, nineteen seventy three and he is fifty three years old. His zodiac sign is Libra and Libras love fairness. The official website is en.wikipedia.org wiki George Floyd. His story still makes many think about caring and fairness. The world keeps his memory alive with gentle thoughts and hopeful actions.

George Floyd - Quick Facts

Profile Overview of George Floyd

George Perry Floyd Jr. (October 14, 1973 – May 25, 2020) was an African American man who was murdered by a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an arrest made after a store clerk suspected Floyd had used a counterfeit twenty-dollar bill. One of four police officers who arrived on the scene, Derek Chauvin, knelt on Floyd's neck and back for almost ten minutes, fatally asphyxiating him. After his murder, a series of protests against police brutality, especially towards African Americans, quickly spread nationally and then globally. His dying words became a rallying slogan: "I can't breathe".

This profile of George Floyd covers Early Life and Family Background, Post-college, Murder, Protests and Memorials.

Floyd was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and grew up in Houston, Texas, playing football and basketball throughout high school and college. Between 1997 and 2005, he was convicted of eight crimes. He served four years in prison after accepting a plea bargain for a 2007 aggravated robbery in a home invasion. After he was paroled in 2013, he served as a mentor in his Christian community and posted anti-violence videos to social media. In 2014, he moved to the Minneapolis area, residing in the nearby suburb of St. Louis Park, and worked as a truck driver and bouncer. In 2020, he lost both jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

After his murder, the City of Minneapolis settled a wrongful death lawsuit with Floyd's family for $27 million. Chauvin was convicted on two counts of murder and one count of manslaughter on April 20, 2021, and on June 25, 2021, was sentenced to 22+1⁄2 years in prison. The other three officers at the scene were also later convicted of violating Floyd's civil rights.

Early Life and Family Background of George Floyd

Floyd was born on October 14, 1973, in Fayetteville, North Carolina, to Larcenia "Cissy" Jones Floyd (1947–2018) and George Perry (1949–2002). He had four siblings.

After Floyd's parents separated when he was two, his mother moved with the children to Houston, Texas. The family settled in the Cuney Homes public-housing complex, known as the Bricks, in Houston's Third Ward, a historically African-American neighborhood. Floyd was called Perry as a child and also Big Floyd; being over six feet (183 cm) tall in middle school, he saw sports as a vehicle for improving his life.

Floyd attended Ryan Middle School and graduated from Yates High School in 1993. While at Yates, he was co-captain of the basketball team, playing as a power forward. He was also on the football team as a tight end, and in 1992, his team went to the Texas state championships.

Starting college before any of his siblings, Floyd attended South Florida Community College for two years on a football scholarship and also played on the basketball team. He transferred to Texas A&M University–Kingsville in 1995, where he also played basketball before dropping out. Floyd became a friend of future National Basketball Association (NBA) player Stephen Jackson, who was referred to as his twin because of their strong resemblance to each other, after being introduced in the mid-1990s. At his tallest, he was 6 feet 6 inches (198 cm) tall. By the time of his autopsy, he was 6 feet 4 inches (193 cm) tall and weighed 223 pounds (101 kg).

Post-college of George Floyd

Floyd returned to Houston from college in Kingsville, Texas, in 1995, where he became an automotive customizer and played club basketball. Beginning in 1994, he performed as a rapper using the stage name Big Floyd in the hip-hop group Screwed Up Click. Following his murder, The New York Times described his deep-voiced rhymes as "purposeful," delivered in a slow-motion clip about "'choppin' blades' – driving cars with oversize rims – and his Third Ward pride." The second rap group he was involved in was Presidential Playas, and he worked on their album Block Party, released in 2000.

Between 1997 and 2005, Floyd served eight jail terms on various charges, including drug dealing, drug possession, theft, and trespass. In one of these cases, Floyd was convicted of possessing half a gram of crack cocaine in 2004 based on the testimony of police officer Gerald Goines. Later in 2019, Goines' involvement in the Harding Street raid led to Goines being investigated for a pattern of falsifying evidence. As a result, in April 2021, the district attorney of Harris County, Texas, requested a posthumous pardon for this particular conviction of Floyd's because of Goines' lack of credibility. In October 2021, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles recommended that Floyd be posthumously pardoned for this conviction but withdrew the recommendation (and also withdrew 24 other clemency recommendations) in December 2021, citing "procedural errors and lack of compliance with board rules", while announcing that it would reconsider these recommendations.

In 2007, Floyd faced charges for aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon; according to investigators, he entered an apartment by impersonating a water department worker and barged in with five other men, held a pistol to a woman's stomach, and searched for items to steal. Floyd fled the scene but was arrested three months later during a traffic stop, and victims of the robbery identified him from a photo array. In 2009, Floyd was sentenced to five years in prison as part of a plea deal and was paroled in January 2013.

After his release, Floyd became more involved with Resurrection Houston, a Christian church and ministry, where he mentored young men and posted anti-violence videos to social media. He delivered meals to senior citizens and volunteered with other projects, such as the Angel By Nature Foundation, a charity founded by rapper Trae tha Truth. Later, Floyd became involved with a ministry that brought men from the Third Ward to Minnesota in a church-work program with drug rehabilitation and job placement services. A friend of his acknowledged that Floyd "had made some mistakes that cost him some years of his life" and noted that he was turning his life around through religion.

In 2014, Floyd moved to Minneapolis to rebuild his life and find work. Soon after his arrival, he completed a 90-day rehabilitation program at the Turning Point program in North Minneapolis. He expressed the need for a job and took up security work at Harbor Light Center, a Salvation Army homeless shelter. He lost that job and took several other jobs. Floyd hoped to earn a commercial driver's license to operate trucks. He passed the required drug test, and program administrators felt that his criminal past did not pose a problem. But he dropped out because his job at a nightclub made it difficult to attend morning classes, and he felt pressure to earn money. Floyd later moved to St. Louis Park and lived with former colleagues. He continued to battle drug addiction and went through periods of use and sobriety.

Source: adapted from Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Floyd), text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.