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In Pictures

Gallery|Black Lives Matter

In Pictures: Thousands gather in Houston to mourn George Floyd

Public viewing drew more than 6,000 people and was the final stage in a series of ceremonies before his funeral.

HOUSTON, TEXAS - JUNE 08: School alumni and residents participate in a vigil honoring George Floyd on the football field of Jack Yates High School on June 8, 2020 in Houston, Texas. George Floyd, who
School alumni and Houston residents participate in a vigil honouring George Floyd on the football field of Jack Yates High School in Houston, Texas. [Mario Tama/Getty Images/AFP]
Published On 9 Jun 20209 Jun 2020
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Thousands of mourners filed past George Floyd’s coffin before his funeral in his native Houston, Texas on Tuesday.

Many made the sign of the cross as they approached the open casket to say a last goodbye, while others took a knee or bowed their heads in silent prayer for a man who has become emblematic of the United States’s latest reckoning with racial injustice.

The six-hour viewing on Monday at The Fountain of Praise Church – which drew more than 6,000 people, organisers said – was the final stage in a series of ceremonies paying tribute to Floyd before he is laid to rest next to his mother in his hometown. 

Thousands pay tribute to George Floyd in Houston (3:00)

Mourners waited patiently in stifling Texas heat, wearing masks because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“It’s bringing us together as a country,” said Kevin Sherrod, 41, who was accompanied by his wife and two sons, aged eight and nine.

“Being here with my boys means a lot,” Sherrod added. “It is a time in history, and they will remember they were part of it.”

Floyd’s death, the latest in a long line of similar deaths of Black men, women and children at the hands of police, has unleashed protests for racial justice and against police brutality in the US and around the world.

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Some US cities have already begun to embrace reforms – starting with bans on the use of tear gas and rubber-coated bullets.

Visitors pay their respects to George Floyd during a candlelight vigil at Jack Yates High School in Houston, Texas on June 8, 2020. - George Floyd, the 46-year-old African American whose killing by a
George Floyd, who played football for Yates High School, died on May 25 when he was in Minneapolis police custody, sparking nationwide protests. [Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP]
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Visitors hold their lit phones as they pay their respects to George Floyd during a candlelight vigil at Jack Yates High School in Houston, Texas on June 8, 2020. - George Floyd, the 46-year-old Africa
People hold their lit phones during the candlelight vigil at Jack Yates High School. [Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP]
epa08473956 People gather for a candlelight vigil honoring George Floyd, at Jack Yates High School football field in Houston, Texas, USA, 08 June 2020. EPA-EFE/Karen Warren / POOL
Floyd's killing unleashed protests for racial justice and against police brutality in the US and around the world. [Karen Warren/EPA]
HOUSTON, TEXAS - JUNE 08: People wait in line to attend the public viewing for George Floyd outside the Fountain of Praise church on June 8, 2020 in Houston, Texas. George Floyd died on May 25th when
People wait in line to attend the public visitation for George Floyd outside the Fountain of Praise church in Houston. [Mario Tama/Getty Images/AFP]
HOUSTON, TEXAS - JUNE 08: Mourners pass by the casket of George Floyd during a public visitation at the Fountain of Praise church on June 8, 2020 in Houston, Texas. Floyd died after being restrained b
The six-hour viewing at The Fountain of Praise Church was the final stage in a series of ceremonies paying tribute to Floyd before he is laid to rest on Tuesday next to his mother in his hometown. [David J. Phillip-Pool/Getty Images/AFP]
Mourners wait in line to visit the casket of George Floyd during a public visitation Monday, June 8, 2020, at The Fountain of Praise church in Houston. (Godofredo A. Va´squez/Houston Chronicle via AP,
Mourners wait in line to visit the casket of George Floyd at The Fountain of Praise church in Houston. [Godofredo A Vasquez/Houston Chronicle via AP]
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epa08473586 A mourner reacts as he views the casket during a public visitation for George Floyd at the Fountain of Praise church, in Houston, Texas, USA, 08 June 2020. A bystander''s video posted onlin
The ceremony in Houston drew more than 6,000 people, organisers said. [Godofredo A Vasquez/Pool/EPA]
epa08473813 A man raises his fist as he views the casket of George Floyd during a public visitation for George Floyd at the Fountain of Praise church, in Houston, Texas, USA, 08 June 2020. A bystander
A man raises his fist next to the casket of George Floyd. [Godofredo A Vasquez/Pool/EPA]
epa08473537 Mourners visit the casket during a public visitation for George Floyd at the Fountain of Praise church, in Houston, Texas, USA, 08 June 2020. A bystander''s video posted online on 25 May, a
Mourners bowed their heads in silent prayer for a man who has become emblematic of the US's latest reckoning with racial injustice. [Godofredo A Vasquez/Pool/EPA]
Pallbearers move the casket of George Floyd after a public viewing at the Fountain of Praise church in Houston, Texas on June 8, 2020. - Democrats vowed June 7, 2020 to press legislation to fight syst
Pallbearers move the casket of George Floyd after the public viewing at the Fountain of Praise church in Houston. [Johannes Eisele/AFP]
epa08472778 General view of a mural of George Floyd in Houston, Texas, USA, 08 June 2020. A bystander''s video posted online on 25 May, appeared to show George Floyd, 46, pleading with arresting office
A mural of George Floyd in Houston. [Aaron M Sprecher/EPA]


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