George Floyd funeral service in NC: Thousands of mourners chant for justice, reverend says he 'sparked a fuse'
A long line of people, some chanting “No justice, no peace”, reportedly waited outside a church in North Carolina for a memorial service for George Floyd on Saturday, June 6. Chants of “Black power,” and “No justice, no peace,” rang out as the hearse bearing Floyd’s coffin arrived at around 9 am.
The private funeral was held in Raeford, North Carolina, for friends and family of Floyd, who died at the hands of a white policeman on Memorial Day in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Reportedly, most of the mourners wore black, except members of Floyd's family who were dressed in white. Floyd's body rested in a closed gold coffin at the front of the room.
Hoke County Sheriff Hubert Peterkin, who was present at the funeral, said, “We as law enforcement officers don't have the authority to bully, push people around and kill them because we have on a badge and a gun. It's got to change. We keep talking, we keep talking, we keep talking until it happens again. ... Enough of talking. Don't let the life of George Floyd be in vain.”
Reverend Dr. Christopher Stackhouse with the Lewis Chapel Missionary Baptist Church gave the eulogy, where he said, “Although it took 8 minutes and 46 seconds for him to die, it took 401 years to put the system in place. Something was different about that day. A movement is happening in America, and I’m glad that all of us can say that it was George Floyd that sparked a fuse.”
A memorial service is planned for Houston, Texas, on Monday, June 8, followed by a private service the following day.
At the same time in Washington DC, as many as 200,000 people are expected to gather to pay their respects to Floyd. “We have a lot of public, open-source information to suggest that the event on this upcoming Saturday may be one of the largest we’ve ever had in the city,” said Washington DC Police Chief Peter Newsham as per the New York Post.
Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, who had “Black Lives Matter” painted in big yellow letters across two blocks of 16th Street NW across from the White House, joined the protesters on Saturday.
Bowser does not want troops in the capital. “I am requesting you withdraw all extraordinary federal law enforcement and military presence in Washington, DC,” Bowser wrote in a letter to Trump on Friday, June 5. “We are well equipped to handle large demonstrations and First Amendment activities.”