Public viewing for George Floyd held in Houston, US

By Xinhua Published: Jun 09, 2020 10:19 AM

People wait to attend the public viewing for George Floyd in Houston, Texas, the United States, June 8, 2020. A public viewing for George Floyd, an African American man who died while in police custody, is underway on Monday in Houston, Texas, the United States. (Photo by Steven Song/Xinhua)

A public viewing for George Floyd, an African American man who died while in police custody, is underway on Monday in Houston, Texas, the United States.

The memorial is being held in the Fountain of Praise Church in Houston, where 46-year-old Floyd grew up. A private funeral service will be held at the same place Tuesday.

The public viewing started at noon and will continue till 6 p.m. local time, according to the Fort Bend Memorial Planning Center, the organizer of the public viewing and funeral.

Hours before the viewing began, people from Houston and across the country waited outside the church to pay tribute to Floyd. Police have also been deployed at the scene.

An African American who identified himself as Kelvin brought his whole family to the viewing, including three children. "We are here to show the support to the Floyd family. I'm an African American male myself so I understand how important this move is right now," he told Xinhua.

"People need to be held accountable for the actions," he said, adding that the former police officers who are responsible for the death of Floyd "need to be convicted to show that they are not above the law."

Expecting a large number of visitors, the organizer said it is a tough task to make sure the social distancing regulation is met as confirmed COVID-19 cases are still growing in Houston.

Due to social distancing requirements, only 15 guests are allowed inside the church at a time. Visitors must go through metal detector and temperature check before entering the church. Masks are also mandatory.

The organizer told local media that Floyd's family contacted them a day after he passed away to conduct the services.

Bobby Swearington, owner of the Fort Bend Memorial Planning Center, told a local TV station that the family had only one request -- the funeral be a grand experience.

Last week, two memorials were held in Minneapolis, the city in which Floyd died after being pinned by the neck for almost nine minutes by a white police officer's knee, and Raeford, North Carolina, the state where Floyd was born. Hundreds of people paid their tribute to Floyd by laying wreaths at the memorials.

Floyd's body arrived in Houston Saturday night, the Houston Police Department said. At the request of the family, his entry was made private.

Demonstrations and riots have spread to cities across the United States since a video went viral of Floyd being suffocated to death in the midwestern U.S. state of Minnesota in late May.