MINNEAPOLIS ? On Sunday, George Floyd was scheduled to meet with his friend Wallace White, to talk about getting involved with MAD DADS ? Men Against Destruction Defending Against Drugs and Social Disorder, but he couldn't make it. The next day, Floyd was dead.
White watched the video on Facebook Monday showing Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck as he said he couldn't breathe.
?That boy didn?t need to die like that. All the footage showed the man was not resisting him," said White, 56. "He was a gentle giant man. He was loved by everyone around here. He was a real quiet guy, liked to have fun."
Floyd?s volunteer slip sat on MAD DADS chapter president VJ Smith?s desk Tuesday.
George Floyd has become a household name as the viral video sparked outrage and protests across the nation.
In life, friends and family members said the 6-foot-4 Floyd never made an enemy.
?He didn?t like to argue, all that drama and stuff," White said. "He never threw around the fact that he was a bigger guy.?
George Floyd remembered as 'gentle giant' as family calls his death 'murder'
Nicquel Terry Ellis
Tyler J. Davis
USA TODAY
MINNEAPOLIS ? On Sunday, George Floyd was scheduled to meet with his friend Wallace White, to talk about getting involved with MAD DADS ? Men Against Destruction Defending Against Drugs and Social Disorder, but he couldn't make it. The next day, Floyd was dead.
White watched the video on Facebook Monday showing Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck as he said he couldn't breathe.
?That boy didn?t need to die like that. All the footage showed the man was not resisting him," said White, 56. "He was a gentle giant man. He was loved by everyone around here. He was a real quiet guy, liked to have fun."
Floyd?s volunteer slip sat on MAD DADS chapter president VJ Smith?s desk Tuesday.
George Floyd has become a household name as the viral video sparked outrage and protests across the nation.
In life, friends and family members said the 6-foot-4 Floyd never made an enemy.
?He didn?t like to argue, all that drama and stuff," White said. "He never threw around the fact that he was a bigger guy.?
George Floyd died May 25 after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck while arresting him.
Floyd's family attorney Benjamin Crump said Floyd leaves behind two daughters, ages 6 and 22, in Houston.
?He was a really good person that everybody seemed to love," Crump told USA TODAY. "He was a gentle giant that when he came in the room he would light up the room. He was so exuberant.?
Crump said Floyd was born in Fayetteville, N.C., but grew up in Houston where most of his family still lives. Floyd was a standout high school athlete who played basketball for South Florida StaCollege, his youngest brother Rodney Floyd said.
Saturday will mark the two year anniversary of their mother's death, which has only made the pain worse for Floyd's family, he said.
"We've all been down here struggling," said Rodney Floyd, who lives in Houston.
He described George as a doting father who was loved by many in the Houston community.
?He was a great person and he always made everybody feel safe and secure around him," Rodney Floyd told USA TODAY.
Floyd moved to Minneapolis in recent years for better employment opportunities, Crump said. In addition to security jobs at Conga Latin Bistro and the local Salvation Army, Floyd was also a truck driver.
Christina Dawson, Floyd's ex-girlfriend, told USA TODAY that Floyd was a joy to be around.
"Happy, fun, goofy guy," Dawson said. "He loved to see people happy."
Floyd, 46, had become a popular fixture at Conga Latin Bistro. The restaurant shared photos of Floyd on its Facebook page with one post reading "RIP Sad, we will always remember you." Patrons and colleagues shared memories in the comments.
He was one of those big teddy bears. This is a huge loss. I really do hope there will be justice for this," one user wrote.
Bistro owner Jovanni Thunstrom said in a Facebook post that the death of Floyd was "just plain murder."
"My employee George Floyd was murdered by a Police officer that had no compassion, used his position to commit a murder of someone that was begging for his life," Thunstrom wrote. "I will like to keep on writing, but my vision is blurry, from the tears coming out of my eyes. I am sorry, I usually don't cry."
Four police officers,Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng, have been fired over the incident, but Floyd's family and Crump, say that's not enough.
Crump said he believes the officers' actions were fueled by racism and disregard for black lives and that they should be arrested and charged.
?We know if the roles were reversed and black people were accused of killing white people, oh you go to death row," Crump said. "But it seems to be that the message is sent from our legal system, our criminal justice system, that black lives are less valuable than white lives.?