George Floyd Park in Third Ward conveys ‘peacefulness of his spirit’

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Houston native George Floyd, the 46-year-old who was killed in Minneapolis under police custody, now has a park dedicated to him in Third Ward.

City of Houston and state leaders, along with members of the community, gathered for a dedication to unveil the new George Floyd Park. The park is located right across from Jack Yates High School, Floyd’s alma mater.

“This is the ground where George Floyd walked,” said Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. “What I want to convey is the peacefulness of George Floyd’s spirit.”

The park, which sits on the corner of Alabama Street near Scott Street, includes a monument with Floyd’s portrait and some of his last words: “Mama, I can’t breathe.”

The property was dedicated by Gertrude Jane Stone and family.

And it’s not just in Houston where people are honoring the ‘gentle giant,’ as his friends and former classmates like to remember him as. In Brooklyn, Floyd’s brother Terrance led a march Sunday morning to honor him as we approach the one-year anniversary of his death.

The Floyd family is set to visit the White House on Tuesday. President Joe Biden had hoped to sign a police reform bill named after Floyd, but it is still pending in the Senate.