As George Floyd was laid to rest on the day of his funeral, President Donald Trump continued to ignore the racial injustice and turned his focus on protesters. Trump posted a conspiracy theory on Twitter about a peaceful activist that allegedly attacked a police officer.
Previously, two officers from Buffalo, New York shoved a 75-year-old man to the ground during a demonstration for the death of the African-American man, after which they had been charged.
The incident came just as Trump experienced a sharp drop in his poll numbers and after Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential candidate paid a visit to Floyd's family and expressed his condolences and support for the racial injustice movement, as reported by Yahoo News.
A loud funeral
On Tuesday afternoon, Floyd's coffin was wheeled out of the Fountain of Praise church and was to be buried inside a grave beside his mother's as a group of mourners expressed their grief and called for justice.
One man shouted "We will breathe!" while another screamed, "Get your knee off our neck!" as several police officers stood in two rows on the sidelines.
As Floyd's coffin was placed in the hearse, the crowd broke into a chant: "Say his name! George Floyd! Say his name! George Floyd!"
According to The New York Times, several broadcast station aired Floyd's funeral live as it unfolded and showed speakers talking one after another, about the impacts of the beloved man's death has had on policies and political perspectives.
Former Vice President Biden noted that no child should feel the need to repeat an age-old question that black children have put up with all their lives, "Why? Why is Daddy gone?" He also noted that America would be on the way to racial equality when Floyd's death gets justice.
Criminal Record
Several people who new Floyd referred to him as a "gentle giant" during the times they knew him personally. In the 1990s, however, he was caught up in the violence of Houston's underground scene where police officers arrested him several times for charges of theft and drugs, as reported by The Star.
He was previously sentenced to eight months in jail in October 2002 for possession of cocaine and ten months in December 2005 for a similar offence.
After he was released from prison for charges of aggravated robbery, he moved to Minneapolis in 2014. And on May 25, 2020, the day of his death, he was reported for counterfeiting a $20 bill that he tried to use at a grocery store, says Great Game India.
After the history of crime, Floyd turned to religion and came into contact with a pastor of a church in the Third Ward who started Floyd on the path to reconciliation.
Calls for equality
Civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton delivered the eulogy at Floyd's funeral where he criticized political and business leaders who apologized for the mistreatment of African-Americans. He said "Don't apologize, give Colin Kaepernick a job back," referring to the former NFL quarterback. Sharpton added that they do not want an apology, but rather, a repair of the damage done to him.
Mayor Sylvester Turner of Houston also spoke at the funeral announcing the city's honouring of Floyd and that his death turned the favour in creating a better community for his fellowmen. Turner also announced that they would be banning chokeholds or strangleholds in an attempt to prevent another Floyd incident.
Trump, however, continuously shared his support against the defunding or dismantling of the police force. The president also stated that he was proud of law enforcement because they have been protecting the nation's security and safety and have enabled Americans to live peacefully.
President Trump seeks to cast himself as the "law and order" president and has shared his disagreement with protesters' call for the defunding of the police. He tossed the idea aside and instead lay the blame on political rival Biden as being responsible for the extreme situations.
