Thousands of mourners gather for George Floyd memorial service in his home state of North Carolina
Between 30,000 and 40,000 people were expected to pay their respects to Mr Floyd at a Baptist church in the small town of Raeford. He died at the age of 46 in police custody
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Streams of mourners lined up early today outside a Baptist church in Raeford, North Carolina to pay their respects to George Floyd.
The state's governor, Roy Cooper, ordered all flags to be flown at half mast on Saturday as mass demonstrations continued over racial injustice and police brutality following his killing.
Mr Floyd, 46, died on Memorial Day in Minneapolis after a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, pressed his knee to his neck for almost nine minutes.
Though Mr Floyd spent most of his life in Houston, Texas, he was born in Fayetteville and much of the family still calls North Carolina home.
A private family service was scheduled for 3pm after the public viewing.
The Raleigh News & Observer reported that mourners were allowed in 20 at a time to view Mr Floyd, and had been arriving from dawn.
The local sheriff’s office expected that between 30,000 and 40,000 people would come to pay their respects.
Dressed in a tan suit, his body lay in a gold, open casket. Although his family had asked for no flowers, mourners left numerous floral tributes.
A memorial service was held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Thursday. On Tuesday, a further memorial will be held in Houston. Former vice president and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is expected to attend.
In a statement, Governor Cooper said: “The unjust killing of George Floyd combined with many other recent and distant events broke open painful wounds. Racism. Excessive use of police force. Health disparities. Poverty. White supremacy. These are wrong. They are ugly, but they are present. We must deal with them. We will deal with them. George Floyd’s sister, Bridgette, lives in Hoke County, North Carolina. While I cannot bring her brother back, I can work for justice in his name. I assured her that’s what we would do."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments