A permanent mural dedicated to the memory of George Floyd was unveiled Saturday in his hometown of Houston, Texas.
The mural is two blocks long on Alabama Street in front of Jake Yates High School, from where Floyd graduated in 1993 and where he played tight end on a football squad that got to Texas’ state championship.
The street mural features the phrase “Black Lives Matter” in red and gold and a depiction of Floyd’s football jersey emblazoned with his number, 88. At the unveiling, the Texas Southern University drumline performed, and there was a motorcycle procession and balloon release.
Floyd, 46, was killed on May 25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the hands of four police officers, one of whom kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes. Despite his cries for help and those of onlookers, the officers did not let up nor treat the man. Floyd’s death sparked protests across the country against police violence, and the now-fired Minneapolis policemen responsible for it — Derek Chauvin, Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane — await accountability from the courts.
The Minnesota National Guard has been activated in advance of their trial for second-degree murder. It is scheduled to begin on March 8.
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During the unveiling Saturday, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said the image of Chauvin with his knee on Floyd’s neck “is still being resonated throughout the globe.”
“This (artwork) is another public statement,” Turner said, “that the life and death of George Floyd is not in vain.”
The Houston mural, designed by local artist Jonah Elijah, was commissioned by Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis and a nonprofit social activism organization called 88 C.H.U.M.P, which was created by Floyd’s former high school football teammates.
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Several members of the Floyd family attended the unveiling.
“This means a lot to my family,” said Floyd’s niece, Bianca Williams, “and I know it would mean a lot to my uncle.”
Williams asked the audience to “continue to stand with us. This is the beginning of a long fight, united together stronger than ever.”
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