George Floyd's funeral service is held in Houston
HOUSTON - George Floyd, the black man who was killed in Minneapolis police custody two weeks ago, will be laid to rest today in Pearland, Texas.
It's a day Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo officially proclaimed "George Perry Floyd, Jr. Day."
The funeral service, which was paid for by legendary boxer Floyd Mayweather, was held at The Fountain of Praise Church in southwest Houston.
OFFICIAL LIST: Speakers and order of George Floyd funeral service
Mourners and pallbearers gather near flowers as the coffin arrives for the funeral for George Floyd on June 9, 2020, at The Fountain of Praise church in Houston, Texas. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
FOX 26 will carry the funeral service live on-air and on fox26houston.com/live.
Family, friends and notable figures gathered at 11 a.m. to pay their respects to Floyd.
Dozens of Floyd's family members, most dressed in white, were led into the sanctuary by the Rev. Al Sharpton, who delivered the eulogy.
PHOTOS: Family, notable figures gather together to say goodbye to George Floyd
Family and friends attend the funeral service for George Floyd in the chapel at the Fountain of Praise church June 9, 2020 in Houston. (Photo by David J. Phillip-Pool/Getty Images)
Those who attended the service included Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Attorney Benjamin Crump, Slim Thug, Leela James, Paul Wall, Floyd Mayweather, Congressman Al Green, Bishop James Dixon, JJ Watt, Jaimie Foxx and Channing Tatum.
FORMER VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN OFFERS RECORDED MESSAGE: "YOU MUST GRIEVE IN PUBLIC"
In a recorded video played during the service, Joe Biden offered both a heartfelt message to Floyd's family and an impassioned plea for racial justice.
"For most people, the numbness you feel now, will slowly turn, day after day, season after season, into purpose through the memory of the one they lost," Biden said. "But for you, that day has come before you can fully grieve."
MORE: 'Now is the time for racial justice': Biden delivers video message at George Floyd funeral
“Unlike most, you must grieve in public. It’s a burden, a burden that is now your purpose to change the world for the better in the name of George Floyd,” the former vice president added.
HOUSTON MAYOR: "IN THIS CITY WE WILL REQUIRE DE-ESCALATION"
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner also offered remarks during the service and announced that he would sign an executive order to ban the use of chokeholds by law enforcement.
“In this city, we will require de-escalation. In this city, you have to give a warning before you shoot. In this city, you have a duty to intervene. In this city, we will require comprehensive reporting,” Turner said.
MORE: Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner will sign order to ban chokeholds
Mayor Turner also proclaimed June 9 "George Perry Day" in the City of Houston.
Following the funeral, Floyd’s procession will be escorted by the Houston Police Department to the Houston Memorial Gardens in Pearland. The interment, estimated to be after 1 p.m., is private.
Pearland Police asks drivers to avoid Cullen Road, which will be closed to roadway traffic from Freedom Blvd to Clear Creek.
The funeral comes a day after thousands of people paid their respects at a public viewing for George Floyd in Houston.
MORE: 6,362 mourners pay final respects to George Floyd at public viewing in Houston
The six-hour viewing began at noon, but people started to line up hours before.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and former Vice President Joe Biden were in attendance.
Floyd's family also made an appearance alongside families of other police brutality victims to give a speech to the crowd.
Last week, around 60,000 people gathered in downtown Houston alongside Floyd's family to take part in a historic march to honor.
MORE: George Floyd's family joined 60,000 people in historic Houston march
Floyd was raised in Houston’s Third Ward. The 46-year-old died while in the custody of Minneapolis police last month.
He graduated in 1993 from Yates High School in Houston, where his friends remember him as a football and basketball star.
A mural of him has been painted in his old Third Ward neighborhood, and another was painted at the Breakfast Klub.
Floyd was also honored at a memorial service in Minneapolis on Thursday and another in North Carolina on Saturday.