That's going to likely cause a police exodus and require recruitment and training out the yazoo.
It's hell when the boss doesn't have your back... right or wrong.
CRIME FBI to investigate death of black man in Minnesota police custody
- Thread starter jward
- Start date
It's hell when the boss doesn't have your back... right or wrong.
jward
passin' thru
Al Jazeera English
@AJEnglish
22m
George Floyd death: Pressure mounts for US officers to be charged
View: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish/status/1265821414051008514?s=20
@AJEnglish
22m
George Floyd death: Pressure mounts for US officers to be charged
View: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish/status/1265821414051008514?s=20
jward
passin' thru
A better way would be to actually have the law system work as it is envisioned- One set of rules, justly applied to every citizen. I will say though, that the legal system seems to be working, since immediately the cops were let go and FBI will be investigating, and we must assume finding cause for charges against them.
Can't justify burning down a city- not yet. Maybe we will catch the organizers and instigators and find fitting charges for them too? In the meantime, it will be interesting to see how people split on this issue- I think it will be bad optics against the out of control democratic establishments in that city- They are currently the poster boys for the "out of control jack booted thugs" in power- not DJT
Can't justify burning down a city- not yet. Maybe we will catch the organizers and instigators and find fitting charges for them too? In the meantime, it will be interesting to see how people split on this issue- I think it will be bad optics against the out of control democratic establishments in that city- They are currently the poster boys for the "out of control jack booted thugs" in power- not DJT
jward
passin' thru
Minneapolis police officer at center of George Floyd's death had history of prior complaints
Derek Chauvin had been with the Minneapolis police since 2001. During his career, he was the subject of a dozen police conduct complaints; he was never discipline
May 27, 2020, 7:54 PM CDT
By Erik Ortiz and Donna Mendell
The Minneapolis police officer seen kneeling on the neck of an unarmed black man heard saying "I can't breathe" multiple times before he died was a 19-year department veteran who was the subject of a dozen police conduct complaints that resulted in no disciplinary action. The officer, who was praised for valor during his career, also once fired his weapon during an encounter with a suspect, records show.
The officer, Derek Chauvin, and three fellow officers were fired Tuesday from the Minneapolis Police Department, one day after the incident involving George Floyd, whose cries of physical pain were recorded on a cellphone video and whose death led to tense anti-police brutality protests overnight in Minnesota's largest city. Minneapolis police identified the other officers as Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng.
George Floyd.Courtesy photo
To be the subject of a dozen complaints over a two-decade career would appear "a little bit higher than normal," said Mylan Masson, a retired Minneapolis Park police officer and longtime police training expert for the state of Minnesota at Hennepin Technical College.
But, she added, anyone can file a complaint against an officer, whether or not it's valid, and officers might be subject to more complaints if they deal with the public often. Either way, an officer's disciplinary record will be up for scrutiny in any legal proceedings, Masson said.
An investigation including state authorities is being led by the FBI. Chauvin, 44, who is white, is being represented by lawyer Tom Kelly, who declined to comment when contacted by NBC News. Efforts to reach the other officers for comment were unsuccessful Wednesday.
Bridgett Floyd, Floyd's sister, said on NBC's "TODAY" show Wednesday morning that she wants all of the officers at the scene to be charged with murder.
"They murdered my brother. He was crying for help," she said.
George Floyd’s sister on his death in Minneapolis police custody: ‘They murdered my brother’
May 27, 202006:45
The Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis, which represents the department's 800-plus rank-and file officers, asked the public not to rush to judgment before all video can be reviewed and a medical examiner's report is released.
"Officers' actions and training protocol will be carefully examined after the officers have provided their statements," the union said Tuesday. It did not immediately return a request for comment about Chauvin's and the other officers' options if they choose to contest their firings.
Chauvin, who joined the Minneapolis Police Academy in October 2001, has had a career that included use-of-force incidents and at least one lawsuit related to an allegation of violations of a prisoner's federal constitutional rights.
In 2006, Chauvin was one of six officers from the Third Precinct who responded to a stabbing at a Minneapolis home. Police said Wayne Reyes stabbed his friend and his girlfriend and then threatened to kill all of them with a shotgun.
Police pursued Reyes, who fled in his truck. He got out of the vehicle with a shotgun, and "several officers fired multiple shots," killing Reyes, police said in a report.
It was unclear during the initial investigation which officers fired their weapons and whether Reyes had made any verbal or physical threats.
All of the officers, including Chauvin, were put on paid leave during an investigation, which is standard protocol. It is unclear what happened with the investigation, and Minneapolis police did not immediately respond to a request for Chauvin's service record.
The same year, Chauvin and seven others were named in an unrelated federal lawsuit filed by an inmate at the Minnesota Correctional Facility at Lino Lakes. Further information was not immediately available; records show that the case was dismissed without prejudice in 2007.
Download the NBC News app for breaking news and alerts
In 2008, Chauvin and a second officer were called to a residence for a domestic disturbance. According to police, Ira Latrell Toles, 21, was holed up in a bathroom and tried to escape when Chauvin got inside. When Toles refused to obey Chauvin's order to get down, police said, a struggle began and Toles grabbed for Chauvin's weapon.
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Chauvin fired twice, hitting Toles in the abdomen, the Pioneer Press newspaper of St. Paul reported. Toles was taken to the hospital and survived.
Chauvin and the other officer, who was not named, were placed on paid leave during an investigation, which is standard protocol. Police did not respond to a request for information about the outcome of the investigation.
The newspaper said that earlier in 2008, Chauvin was awarded a department medal of valor for "his response in an incident involving a man armed with a gun." Chauvin was recognized again in 2009 by the police department.
In 2011, Chauvin was again placed on temporary leave after he responded to the scene of a shooting.
Police said that Leroy Martinez, 23, drew his gun near a playground at the Little Earth of United Tribes public housing complex and that an officer shot him after he refused to drop the gun and listen to commands. Chauvin and other officers arrived at the scene, and while none of them fired their weapons, they were all placed on a standard three-day administrative leave as part of the investigation.
Tim Dolan, then the police chief, later said the officers, including Chauvin, "acted appropriately and courageously."
4 Minneapolis officers fired after death of George Floyd in police custody
May 27, 202002:33
Chauvin has also been the subject of complaints listed in the city's Office of Police Conduct database. Details of those cases were unavailable after they were closed and listed as "non-public." They resulted in no discipline.
Minneapolis police did not respond to a request Wednesday for comment or more information about Chauvin's disciplinary record.
Kelly, Chauvin's attorney, has had politicians as clients and also defended Jeronimo Yanez, a police officer in the Minneapolis suburb of St. Anthony. Yanez was charged with manslaughter in the death in 2016 of Philando Castile, a black driver whom Yanez fatally shot during a traffic stop — another case that prompted Black Lives Matter protests and a national conversation about race and gun rights. Yanez was acquitted the following year.
Chauvin's personal life was the subject of a profile two years ago in the Pioneer Press, which interviewed his wife, Kellie Chauvin, a Hmong woman who was born in Laos and was vying to become Mrs. Minnesota America 2018.
She told the newspaper that she married Chauvin eight years previously and that they met when he brought someone he was arresting to the hospital where she was working. He later came back and asked her out.
"Under all that uniform, he's just a softie," Kellie Chauvin said.
Protesters demonstrated in the rain Tuesday night outside Chauvin's home in Oakdale, a Twin Cities suburb. Oakdale's police chief said the protest was "very peaceful."
www.nbcnews.com
Derek Chauvin had been with the Minneapolis police since 2001. During his career, he was the subject of a dozen police conduct complaints; he was never discipline
May 27, 2020, 7:54 PM CDT
By Erik Ortiz and Donna Mendell
The Minneapolis police officer seen kneeling on the neck of an unarmed black man heard saying "I can't breathe" multiple times before he died was a 19-year department veteran who was the subject of a dozen police conduct complaints that resulted in no disciplinary action. The officer, who was praised for valor during his career, also once fired his weapon during an encounter with a suspect, records show.
The officer, Derek Chauvin, and three fellow officers were fired Tuesday from the Minneapolis Police Department, one day after the incident involving George Floyd, whose cries of physical pain were recorded on a cellphone video and whose death led to tense anti-police brutality protests overnight in Minnesota's largest city. Minneapolis police identified the other officers as Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng.
To be the subject of a dozen complaints over a two-decade career would appear "a little bit higher than normal," said Mylan Masson, a retired Minneapolis Park police officer and longtime police training expert for the state of Minnesota at Hennepin Technical College.
But, she added, anyone can file a complaint against an officer, whether or not it's valid, and officers might be subject to more complaints if they deal with the public often. Either way, an officer's disciplinary record will be up for scrutiny in any legal proceedings, Masson said.
An investigation including state authorities is being led by the FBI. Chauvin, 44, who is white, is being represented by lawyer Tom Kelly, who declined to comment when contacted by NBC News. Efforts to reach the other officers for comment were unsuccessful Wednesday.
Bridgett Floyd, Floyd's sister, said on NBC's "TODAY" show Wednesday morning that she wants all of the officers at the scene to be charged with murder.
"They murdered my brother. He was crying for help," she said.
George Floyd’s sister on his death in Minneapolis police custody: ‘They murdered my brother’
May 27, 202006:45
The Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis, which represents the department's 800-plus rank-and file officers, asked the public not to rush to judgment before all video can be reviewed and a medical examiner's report is released.
"Officers' actions and training protocol will be carefully examined after the officers have provided their statements," the union said Tuesday. It did not immediately return a request for comment about Chauvin's and the other officers' options if they choose to contest their firings.
Chauvin, who joined the Minneapolis Police Academy in October 2001, has had a career that included use-of-force incidents and at least one lawsuit related to an allegation of violations of a prisoner's federal constitutional rights.
In 2006, Chauvin was one of six officers from the Third Precinct who responded to a stabbing at a Minneapolis home. Police said Wayne Reyes stabbed his friend and his girlfriend and then threatened to kill all of them with a shotgun.
Police pursued Reyes, who fled in his truck. He got out of the vehicle with a shotgun, and "several officers fired multiple shots," killing Reyes, police said in a report.
It was unclear during the initial investigation which officers fired their weapons and whether Reyes had made any verbal or physical threats.
All of the officers, including Chauvin, were put on paid leave during an investigation, which is standard protocol. It is unclear what happened with the investigation, and Minneapolis police did not immediately respond to a request for Chauvin's service record.
The same year, Chauvin and seven others were named in an unrelated federal lawsuit filed by an inmate at the Minnesota Correctional Facility at Lino Lakes. Further information was not immediately available; records show that the case was dismissed without prejudice in 2007.
Download the NBC News app for breaking news and alerts
In 2008, Chauvin and a second officer were called to a residence for a domestic disturbance. According to police, Ira Latrell Toles, 21, was holed up in a bathroom and tried to escape when Chauvin got inside. When Toles refused to obey Chauvin's order to get down, police said, a struggle began and Toles grabbed for Chauvin's weapon.
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Chauvin fired twice, hitting Toles in the abdomen, the Pioneer Press newspaper of St. Paul reported. Toles was taken to the hospital and survived.
Chauvin and the other officer, who was not named, were placed on paid leave during an investigation, which is standard protocol. Police did not respond to a request for information about the outcome of the investigation.
The newspaper said that earlier in 2008, Chauvin was awarded a department medal of valor for "his response in an incident involving a man armed with a gun." Chauvin was recognized again in 2009 by the police department.
In 2011, Chauvin was again placed on temporary leave after he responded to the scene of a shooting.
Police said that Leroy Martinez, 23, drew his gun near a playground at the Little Earth of United Tribes public housing complex and that an officer shot him after he refused to drop the gun and listen to commands. Chauvin and other officers arrived at the scene, and while none of them fired their weapons, they were all placed on a standard three-day administrative leave as part of the investigation.
Tim Dolan, then the police chief, later said the officers, including Chauvin, "acted appropriately and courageously."
4 Minneapolis officers fired after death of George Floyd in police custody
May 27, 202002:33
Chauvin has also been the subject of complaints listed in the city's Office of Police Conduct database. Details of those cases were unavailable after they were closed and listed as "non-public." They resulted in no discipline.
Minneapolis police did not respond to a request Wednesday for comment or more information about Chauvin's disciplinary record.
Kelly, Chauvin's attorney, has had politicians as clients and also defended Jeronimo Yanez, a police officer in the Minneapolis suburb of St. Anthony. Yanez was charged with manslaughter in the death in 2016 of Philando Castile, a black driver whom Yanez fatally shot during a traffic stop — another case that prompted Black Lives Matter protests and a national conversation about race and gun rights. Yanez was acquitted the following year.
Chauvin's personal life was the subject of a profile two years ago in the Pioneer Press, which interviewed his wife, Kellie Chauvin, a Hmong woman who was born in Laos and was vying to become Mrs. Minnesota America 2018.
She told the newspaper that she married Chauvin eight years previously and that they met when he brought someone he was arresting to the hospital where she was working. He later came back and asked her out.
"Under all that uniform, he's just a softie," Kellie Chauvin said.
Protesters demonstrated in the rain Tuesday night outside Chauvin's home in Oakdale, a Twin Cities suburb. Oakdale's police chief said the protest was "very peaceful."
Minneapolis police officer at center of George Floyd's death had history of complaints
Derek Chauvin had been with the Minneapolis police since 2001. During his career, he was the subject of over a dozen police conduct complaints.
www.nbcnews.com
Damn right, but that kind of thinking isn't generally found in people with low impulse control and below 87 IQ.
NoDandy
Has No Life - Lives on TB
As they should !!! If not, WHY NOT ???
Yet, if someone put a cap in the ass of that joggaboo, I bet the FBI would investigate the hell out of that !!!
Macgyver
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Rut ro
Amy Klobuchar declined to prosecute officer at center of George Floyd's death after previous conduct complaints
2:37 p.m.
Ethan Miller/Getty Images
George Floyd's death in police custody is renewing criticism of Sen. Amy Klobuchar's (D-Minn.) prosecutorial record.
Before she became a senator and a top contender for former Vice President Joe Biden's vice presidential spot, Klobuchar spent eight years as the Hennepin County attorney, in charge of prosecution for Minneapolis. And while in that position, Klobuchar declined to prosecute multiple police officers cited for excessive force, including the officer who kneeled on Floyd's neck as he protested, The Guardian reports.
Ex-Minneapolis police officer Derick Chauvin saw at least 10 conduct complaints during his 19-year tenure before he was fired Tuesday, according to a database that documents complaints against police. In particular, he was involved in the shooting death of a man who had stabbed other people before attacking police, as well as some other undisclosed complaints. Klobuchar did not prosecute Chauvin for the first death, and he was later placed on leave when he and other officers shot and wounded a Native American man in 2011.
As The Washington Post noted in March, Klobuchar "declined to bring charges in more than two dozen cases in which people were killed in encounters with police" as Hennepin County attorney. Instead, she "aggressively prosecuted smaller offenses" that "have been criticized for their disproportionate effect on poor and minority communities," the Post continues. And as Klobuchar undergoes vetting to become a possible vice presidential candidate, that track record is being scrutinized and criticized once again. Kathryn Krawczyk
Amy Klobuchar declined to prosecute officer at center of George Floyd's death after previous conduct complaints
2:37 p.m.
Ethan Miller/Getty Images
George Floyd's death in police custody is renewing criticism of Sen. Amy Klobuchar's (D-Minn.) prosecutorial record.
Before she became a senator and a top contender for former Vice President Joe Biden's vice presidential spot, Klobuchar spent eight years as the Hennepin County attorney, in charge of prosecution for Minneapolis. And while in that position, Klobuchar declined to prosecute multiple police officers cited for excessive force, including the officer who kneeled on Floyd's neck as he protested, The Guardian reports.
Ex-Minneapolis police officer Derick Chauvin saw at least 10 conduct complaints during his 19-year tenure before he was fired Tuesday, according to a database that documents complaints against police. In particular, he was involved in the shooting death of a man who had stabbed other people before attacking police, as well as some other undisclosed complaints. Klobuchar did not prosecute Chauvin for the first death, and he was later placed on leave when he and other officers shot and wounded a Native American man in 2011.
As The Washington Post noted in March, Klobuchar "declined to bring charges in more than two dozen cases in which people were killed in encounters with police" as Hennepin County attorney. Instead, she "aggressively prosecuted smaller offenses" that "have been criticized for their disproportionate effect on poor and minority communities," the Post continues. And as Klobuchar undergoes vetting to become a possible vice presidential candidate, that track record is being scrutinized and criticized once again. Kathryn Krawczyk
jward
passin' thru
3 hr 32 min ago
Minneapolis police release 911 call that led to encounter with George Floyd
From CNN's Faith Karimi
On Thursday night, Minneapolis police released a transcript of the 911 call that led to George Floyd's arrest and death, which has sparked outrage nationwide as protesters demand justice. Here's the transcript:
Operator: 911 what's the address of the emergency?
Caller: This is ah 3759 Chicago Ave.
Operator: How can I help you?
Caller: Um someone comes our store and give us fake bills and we realize it before he left the store, and we ran back outside, they was sitting on their car. We tell them to give us their phone, put their (inaudible) thing back and everything and he was also drunk and everything and return to give us our cigarettes back and so he can, so he can go home but he doesn't want to do that, and he's sitting on his car cause he is awfully drunk and he's not in control of himself.
Operator: Okay, what type of vehicle does he have?
Caller: And .... um he's got a vehicle that is ah ... one second let me see if I can see the license. The driver license is BRJ026.
Operator: Okay, what color is it?
Caller: It's a blue color. It's a blue van.
Operator: Blue van?
Caller: Yes, van.
Operator: Alright blue van, gotcha. Is it out front or is it on 38th St.?
Caller: Ah it's on 38th St.
Operator: On 38th St. So, this guy gave a counterfeit bill, has your cigarettes, and he's under the influence of something?
Caller: Something like that, yes. He is not acting right.
Operator: What's he look like, what race?
Caller: Um, he's a tall guy. He's like tall and bald, about like 6 ... 6 1/2, and she's not acting right so and she started to go, drive the car.
Operator: Okay so, female or a male?
Caller: Um...
Operator: Is it a girl or a boy?
Caller: (Talking to somebody else) — he's asking (inaudible) one second. Hello?
Operator: Is it a girl or a boy that did this?
Caller: It is a man.
Operator: Okay. Is he white, black, Native, Hispanic, Asian?
Caller: Something like that.
Operator: Which one? White, black, Native, Hispanic, Asian?
Caller: No, he's a black guy.
Operator: Alright (sigh).
Caller: How is your day going?
Operator: Not too bad.
Caller: Had a long day, huh?
Operator: What's your name?
Caller: My name is (deleted)
Operator: Alright, a phone number for you?
Caller: (Deleted)
Operator: Alright, I've got help on the way. If that vehicle or that person leaves before we get there, just give us a call back, otherwise we'll have squads out there shortly, okay?
Caller: No problem.
Operator: Thank you.
edition.cnn.com
Minneapolis police release 911 call that led to encounter with George Floyd
From CNN's Faith Karimi
On Thursday night, Minneapolis police released a transcript of the 911 call that led to George Floyd's arrest and death, which has sparked outrage nationwide as protesters demand justice. Here's the transcript:
Operator: 911 what's the address of the emergency?
Caller: This is ah 3759 Chicago Ave.
Operator: How can I help you?
Caller: Um someone comes our store and give us fake bills and we realize it before he left the store, and we ran back outside, they was sitting on their car. We tell them to give us their phone, put their (inaudible) thing back and everything and he was also drunk and everything and return to give us our cigarettes back and so he can, so he can go home but he doesn't want to do that, and he's sitting on his car cause he is awfully drunk and he's not in control of himself.
Operator: Okay, what type of vehicle does he have?
Caller: And .... um he's got a vehicle that is ah ... one second let me see if I can see the license. The driver license is BRJ026.
Operator: Okay, what color is it?
Caller: It's a blue color. It's a blue van.
Operator: Blue van?
Caller: Yes, van.
Operator: Alright blue van, gotcha. Is it out front or is it on 38th St.?
Caller: Ah it's on 38th St.
Operator: On 38th St. So, this guy gave a counterfeit bill, has your cigarettes, and he's under the influence of something?
Caller: Something like that, yes. He is not acting right.
Operator: What's he look like, what race?
Caller: Um, he's a tall guy. He's like tall and bald, about like 6 ... 6 1/2, and she's not acting right so and she started to go, drive the car.
Operator: Okay so, female or a male?
Caller: Um...
Operator: Is it a girl or a boy?
Caller: (Talking to somebody else) — he's asking (inaudible) one second. Hello?
Operator: Is it a girl or a boy that did this?
Caller: It is a man.
Operator: Okay. Is he white, black, Native, Hispanic, Asian?
Caller: Something like that.
Operator: Which one? White, black, Native, Hispanic, Asian?
Caller: No, he's a black guy.
Operator: Alright (sigh).
Caller: How is your day going?
Operator: Not too bad.
Caller: Had a long day, huh?
Operator: What's your name?
Caller: My name is (deleted)
Operator: Alright, a phone number for you?
Caller: (Deleted)
Operator: Alright, I've got help on the way. If that vehicle or that person leaves before we get there, just give us a call back, otherwise we'll have squads out there shortly, okay?
Caller: No problem.
Operator: Thank you.
Live updates: George Floyd protests spread nationwide
Four Minneapolis police officers have been fired for their involvement in the death of a black man who was held down with a knee as he protested that he couldn't breathe. Follow here for the latest updates.
jward
passin' thru
3 hr 58 min ago
More than 500 National Guard soldiers are heading to Minneapolis and St. Paul
From CNN’s Joe Sutton
The Minnesota National Guard announced on its Twitter that troops have been activated, as protests continue in St. Paul and Minneapolis.
"We have activated more than 500 soldiers to St. Paul, Minneapolis and surrounding communities. Our mission is to protect life, preserve property and the right to peacefully demonstrate. A key objective is to ensure fire departments are able to respond to calls," said the tweet.
More than 500 National Guard soldiers are heading to Minneapolis and St. Paul
From CNN’s Joe Sutton
The Minnesota National Guard announced on its Twitter that troops have been activated, as protests continue in St. Paul and Minneapolis.
"We have activated more than 500 soldiers to St. Paul, Minneapolis and surrounding communities. Our mission is to protect life, preserve property and the right to peacefully demonstrate. A key objective is to ensure fire departments are able to respond to calls," said the tweet.
jward
passin' thru
George Floyd Left a Gospel Legacy in Houston
As a person of peace, “Big Floyd” opened up ministry opportunities in the Third Ward housing projects.
Kate Shellnutt
May 28, 2020 6:00 PM
Image: Source: Nijalon Dunn / Courtesy of Resurrection Houston
The rest of the country knows George Floyd from several minutes of cell phone footage captured during his final hours. But in Houston’s Third Ward, they know Floyd for how he lived for decades—a mentor to a generation of young men and a “person of peace” ushering ministries into the area.
Before moving to Minneapolis for a job opportunity through a Christian work program, the 46-year-old spent almost his entire life in the historically black Third Ward, where he was called “Big Floyd” and regarded as an “OG,” a de-facto community leader and elder statesmen, his ministry partners say.
Floyd spoke of breaking the cycle of violence he saw among young people and used his influence to bring outside ministries to the area to do discipleship and outreach, particularly in the Cuney Homes housing project, locally known as “the Bricks.”
“George Floyd was a person of peace sent from the Lord that helped the gospel go forward in a place that I never lived in,” said Patrick PT Ngwolo, pastor of Resurrection Houston, which held services at Cuney.
“The platform for us to reach that neighborhood and the hundreds of people we reached through that time and up to now was built on the backs of people like Floyd,” he told Christianity Today.
Ngwolo and fellow leaders met Floyd in 2010. He was a towering 6-foot-6 guest who showed up at a benefit concert they put on for the Third Ward. From the start, Big Floyd made his priorities clear.
“He said, ‘I love what you’re doing. The neighborhood need it, the community need it, and if y’all about God’s business, then that’s my business,’” said Corey Paul Davis, a Christian hip-hop artist who attended Resurrection Houston. “He said, ‘Whatever y’all need, wherever y’all need to go, tell ’em Floyd said y’all good. I got y’all.’”
The church expanded its involvement in the area, holding Bible studies and helping out with groceries and rides to doctor’s appointments. Floyd didn’t just provide access and protection; he lent a helping hand as the church put on services, three-on-three basketball tournaments, barbecues, and community baptisms.
“He helped push the baptism tub over, understanding that people were going to make a decision of faith and get baptized right there in the middle of the projects. He thought that was amazing,” said Ronnie Lillard, who performs under the name Reconcile. “The things that he would say to young men always referenced that God trumps street culture. I think he wanted to see young men put guns down and have Jesus instead of the streets.”
More than 50 people have been killed over the past several years in what authorities describe as a gang war spreading from the Third Ward and southeast Houston.
It can be hard for outsiders to gain trust, or even ensure safety, coming in on their own. The “stamp of approval” granted from a figure like Floyd is crucial for urban discipleship, which requires access, direction, and context to be effective.
“His faith was a heart for the Third Ward that was radically changed by the gospel, and his mission was empowering other believers to be able to come in and push that gospel forth,” said Nijalon Dunn, who was baptized at Cuney. “There are things that Floyd did for us that we’ll never know until the other side of eternity. There were times where we’d have Church at the Bricks until 3 p.m., and by 4:30, they’re firing shots right at the basketball courts.”
Dunn shared pictures of Floyd at his baptism and basketball games. Floyd’s handle included the name “BigFloyd4God.”
Tributes and prayers of lament from fellow Christians rolled in over social media as the news of Floyd’s death spread this week. On Twitter, Davis described Floyd as “the definition of ‘Be the change you want to see’” and shared a video tribute that has been viewed 1.1 million times. Popular Christian hip-hop artist Propaganda reposted the reflections from fellow artists who knew Floyd saying, “He was a friend of my friends.”
Floyd moved to Minnesota around 2018, his family told the Houston Chronicle. He was there for a discipleship program including a job placement, according to pastor Ngwolo. “A ‘Bricks boy’ doesn’t just leave the Third Ward and go to Minnesota!” he said. Floyd told Dunn he had plans to return this summer.
Though he never made it home, he’ll be “immortalized in the Third Ward community forever,” Lillard said. “His mural will be on the walls. Every youth and young man growing up will know George Floyd. The people who knew him personally will remember him as a positive light. Guys from the streets look to him like, ‘Man, if he can change his life, I can change mine.’”
Ministry leaders have heard from community members in the Third Ward who called Floyd their brother, uncle, or even their dad because they lacked older male figures to serve as a positive influence.
Mourners gathered Tuesday night for a prayer vigil in Emancipation Park, a historic Third Ward site that was once the only park open to African Americans in Houston during Jim Crow segregation. Ngwolo is meeting this week with area pastors to lament together.
I wish the world saw me as a Christian first, not as a threat.
Danté Stewart
The viral video of Floyd pinned to the pavement by a Minnesota police officer joins a devastating canon of cell phone footage depicting police using force against black men. His friends in ministry said that when it turned up on the news they weren’t ready to watch another clip so soon after the recording of Ahmaud Arbery being shot while jogging in Georgia and the video of a woman calling 911 on a black man watching birds in New York’s Central Park. But then Lillard texted: It was Big Floyd.
There’s only so much disbelief they can muster from this kind of killing. They’re black men too. Despite their innocence, their faith, their good deeds, they have their own stories of being suspected, humiliated, and threatened by authorities, Lillard told CT.
And now they’re put in the position of rightly remembering a man they knew as a gentle giant, an inspiration to his neighborhood, and a positive force for change. But they also say that shouldn’t matter. He was a fellow image-bearer, and that should have been enough to keep him from the aggressive treatment they saw in the viral clip. Floyd’s family and supporters say the officers involved—who were fired from the department—should face murder charges.
Pastor Ngwolo is still trying to process the news, but one theme he keeps coming back to is the shedding of innocent blood. After Cain’s superiority and animosity drove him to kill Abel, Scripture tells us, “The Lord said, ‘What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground’” (Gen. 4:10).
“If you fast-forward 2,000 years, there’s another innocent sufferer whose blood spoke of better things than Abel’s. … Jesus’ blood says he can redeem us through these dark and perilous times,” Ngwolo said. “I have hope because just like Abel is a Christ figure, I see my brother [Floyd] as a Christ figure as well, pointing us to a greater reality. God does hear us. He hears his cry even from the ground now. Vengeance will either happen on the cross or will happen on Judgment Day.”
www.christianitytoday.com
As a person of peace, “Big Floyd” opened up ministry opportunities in the Third Ward housing projects.
Kate Shellnutt
May 28, 2020 6:00 PM
Image: Source: Nijalon Dunn / Courtesy of Resurrection Houston
The rest of the country knows George Floyd from several minutes of cell phone footage captured during his final hours. But in Houston’s Third Ward, they know Floyd for how he lived for decades—a mentor to a generation of young men and a “person of peace” ushering ministries into the area.
Before moving to Minneapolis for a job opportunity through a Christian work program, the 46-year-old spent almost his entire life in the historically black Third Ward, where he was called “Big Floyd” and regarded as an “OG,” a de-facto community leader and elder statesmen, his ministry partners say.
Floyd spoke of breaking the cycle of violence he saw among young people and used his influence to bring outside ministries to the area to do discipleship and outreach, particularly in the Cuney Homes housing project, locally known as “the Bricks.”
“George Floyd was a person of peace sent from the Lord that helped the gospel go forward in a place that I never lived in,” said Patrick PT Ngwolo, pastor of Resurrection Houston, which held services at Cuney.
“The platform for us to reach that neighborhood and the hundreds of people we reached through that time and up to now was built on the backs of people like Floyd,” he told Christianity Today.
Ngwolo and fellow leaders met Floyd in 2010. He was a towering 6-foot-6 guest who showed up at a benefit concert they put on for the Third Ward. From the start, Big Floyd made his priorities clear.
“He said, ‘I love what you’re doing. The neighborhood need it, the community need it, and if y’all about God’s business, then that’s my business,’” said Corey Paul Davis, a Christian hip-hop artist who attended Resurrection Houston. “He said, ‘Whatever y’all need, wherever y’all need to go, tell ’em Floyd said y’all good. I got y’all.’”
The church expanded its involvement in the area, holding Bible studies and helping out with groceries and rides to doctor’s appointments. Floyd didn’t just provide access and protection; he lent a helping hand as the church put on services, three-on-three basketball tournaments, barbecues, and community baptisms.
“He helped push the baptism tub over, understanding that people were going to make a decision of faith and get baptized right there in the middle of the projects. He thought that was amazing,” said Ronnie Lillard, who performs under the name Reconcile. “The things that he would say to young men always referenced that God trumps street culture. I think he wanted to see young men put guns down and have Jesus instead of the streets.”
More than 50 people have been killed over the past several years in what authorities describe as a gang war spreading from the Third Ward and southeast Houston.
It can be hard for outsiders to gain trust, or even ensure safety, coming in on their own. The “stamp of approval” granted from a figure like Floyd is crucial for urban discipleship, which requires access, direction, and context to be effective.
“His faith was a heart for the Third Ward that was radically changed by the gospel, and his mission was empowering other believers to be able to come in and push that gospel forth,” said Nijalon Dunn, who was baptized at Cuney. “There are things that Floyd did for us that we’ll never know until the other side of eternity. There were times where we’d have Church at the Bricks until 3 p.m., and by 4:30, they’re firing shots right at the basketball courts.”
Dunn shared pictures of Floyd at his baptism and basketball games. Floyd’s handle included the name “BigFloyd4God.”
Tributes and prayers of lament from fellow Christians rolled in over social media as the news of Floyd’s death spread this week. On Twitter, Davis described Floyd as “the definition of ‘Be the change you want to see’” and shared a video tribute that has been viewed 1.1 million times. Popular Christian hip-hop artist Propaganda reposted the reflections from fellow artists who knew Floyd saying, “He was a friend of my friends.”
Floyd moved to Minnesota around 2018, his family told the Houston Chronicle. He was there for a discipleship program including a job placement, according to pastor Ngwolo. “A ‘Bricks boy’ doesn’t just leave the Third Ward and go to Minnesota!” he said. Floyd told Dunn he had plans to return this summer.
Though he never made it home, he’ll be “immortalized in the Third Ward community forever,” Lillard said. “His mural will be on the walls. Every youth and young man growing up will know George Floyd. The people who knew him personally will remember him as a positive light. Guys from the streets look to him like, ‘Man, if he can change his life, I can change mine.’”
Ministry leaders have heard from community members in the Third Ward who called Floyd their brother, uncle, or even their dad because they lacked older male figures to serve as a positive influence.
Mourners gathered Tuesday night for a prayer vigil in Emancipation Park, a historic Third Ward site that was once the only park open to African Americans in Houston during Jim Crow segregation. Ngwolo is meeting this week with area pastors to lament together.
I wish the world saw me as a Christian first, not as a threat.
Danté Stewart
The viral video of Floyd pinned to the pavement by a Minnesota police officer joins a devastating canon of cell phone footage depicting police using force against black men. His friends in ministry said that when it turned up on the news they weren’t ready to watch another clip so soon after the recording of Ahmaud Arbery being shot while jogging in Georgia and the video of a woman calling 911 on a black man watching birds in New York’s Central Park. But then Lillard texted: It was Big Floyd.
There’s only so much disbelief they can muster from this kind of killing. They’re black men too. Despite their innocence, their faith, their good deeds, they have their own stories of being suspected, humiliated, and threatened by authorities, Lillard told CT.
And now they’re put in the position of rightly remembering a man they knew as a gentle giant, an inspiration to his neighborhood, and a positive force for change. But they also say that shouldn’t matter. He was a fellow image-bearer, and that should have been enough to keep him from the aggressive treatment they saw in the viral clip. Floyd’s family and supporters say the officers involved—who were fired from the department—should face murder charges.
Pastor Ngwolo is still trying to process the news, but one theme he keeps coming back to is the shedding of innocent blood. After Cain’s superiority and animosity drove him to kill Abel, Scripture tells us, “The Lord said, ‘What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground’” (Gen. 4:10).
“If you fast-forward 2,000 years, there’s another innocent sufferer whose blood spoke of better things than Abel’s. … Jesus’ blood says he can redeem us through these dark and perilous times,” Ngwolo said. “I have hope because just like Abel is a Christ figure, I see my brother [Floyd] as a Christ figure as well, pointing us to a greater reality. God does hear us. He hears his cry even from the ground now. Vengeance will either happen on the cross or will happen on Judgment Day.”
George Floyd Left a Gospel Legacy in Houston
As a person of peace, “Big Floyd” opened up ministry opportunities in the Third Ward housing projects.
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