June 9 declared ‘George Perry Floyd, Jr. Day’ in Harris County  

Tuesday, June 9, the day George Floyd will be laid to rest in Pearland as the entire nation and world watch, has been declared “George Perry Floyd, Jr. Day” in Harris County, according to officials with Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s office.

Known by his friends and family as “Big Floyd,” Floyd grew up in Houston’s Third Ward. He attended Yates High School and later entered into the hip-hop music group Screwed Up Click alongside legendary Houston rapper DJ Screw. Floyd died of asphyxiation at the hands of a white Minneapolis police officer on Memorial Day; his death was caught on video and led to a global resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement.

FINAL GOODBYE: George Floyd to be laid to rest at Houston Memorial Gardens in Pearland

“We must never forget the name George Floyd or the global movement he has inspired,” Hidalgo said in a statement. “George Floyd’s death, and the deaths of Breonna Taylor, Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice, Ahmaud Arbery, and too many others have sparked a national conversation about race and police brutality. It has taken far too long for us to get here, but we must lean forward and work to make meaningful change in our nation. No family should lose another loved one in such a senseless way.”

Following a private funeral service, Floyd’s body will be laid to rest at the Houston Memorial Gardens alongside his mother, “Cissy,” on Tuesday afternoon. Large crowds are expected at the funeral procession after more than 6,000 people attended a public viewing for Floyd on Monday. 

ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: ‘We are tired’: Over 6,300 line up in Houston to see George Floyd’s body

The proclamation and burial coincide with 10 new significant criminal justice and police reform proposals being considered by the Harris County Commissioners Court and include shifting money away from police into social services, creating a universal use-of-force policy for all county law enforcement agencies and creating a public website with monthly use-of-force reports, the Houston Chronicle reported. 

Rebecca Hennes covers community news. Read her on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | [email protected]