JUDY WOODRUFF: The Houston funeral of George Floyd has dominated the news of this day,
with vows that his death will not be in vain.
Speakers at the service ranged from family to the famous, as we hear in our opening report
from John Yang.
JOHN YANG: George Floyd was laid to rest today, more than two weeks after his death while
being arrested by a white Minneapolis police officer galvanized an international movement.
At his Houston funeral, mourners celebrated Floyd's life, and reflected on how his final
words, "I can't breathe," became a rallying cry in the fight against systemic racism.
PHILONISE FLOYD, Brother of George Floyd: When he yelled, "Please, please, I can't breathe,"
I want justice for my brother, my big brother. That's Big Floyd. Everybody knows who Big
Floyd is now. Everybody is going to remember him around the world. He's going to change
the world.
REP. SHEILA JACKSON LEE (D-TX): His assignment turned into a purpose, and that purpose was
around the world that there are people rising up that will never sit down until you get
justice.
BROOKE WILLIAMS, Niece of George Floyd: My most favorite memory with my uncle was when
he played -- we used to play we needed to scratch his head after long days at work.
We arrived at home. We even created a song about it called "Scratch my head, scratch
my head, yes."
(LAUGHTER)
BROOKE WILLIAMS: But after that, I knew he was a comedian. He always told me: "Baby girl,
you're going to go so far with that beautiful smile and brains of yours."
JOHN YANG:While relatives remembered George Floyd the man, presumptive Democratic presidential
nominee Joe Biden, who met Monday with Floyd's family, said his legacy could be sweeping
social change.
JOSEPH BIDEN (D), Presidential Candidate: I think what's happened here is one of those
great inflection points in American history, for real, in terms of civil liberties, civil
rights, and just treating people with dignity.
JOHN YANG: In Washington, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tim Scott of South
Carolina, the chamber's only African-American Republican, is drafting a bill addressing
racial discrimination in policing.
The announcement comes a day after House and Senate Democrats introduced a sweeping measure
of their own.
Hours before Floyd's funeral, President Trump used a tweet to promote the conspiracy theory,
without offering evidence, that a 75-year-old protester shoved to the ground by Buffalo
police could be an Antifa provocateur taking part in a setup.
The man, a longtime peace activist named Martin Gugino, remains hospitalized. The two officers
involved have been suspended without pay and charged with felony assault.
In a suggestion of growing unease with the president, some Republican senators distanced
themselves from the tweet.
SEN. MITT ROMNEY (R-UT): Yes, I saw the tweet. It was a shocking thing to say, and I won't
dignify it with any further comment.
JOHN YANG: Outside the White House, the Park Service says temporary fencing around Lafayette
Park will be removed by Wednesday, but the protests in Washington, D.C., and across the
country show so signs of relenting.
For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm John Yang.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Inside the church in Houston, the Reverend Al Sharpton delivered the eulogy
for George Floyd. He honored Floyd's life and the movement sparked by his death.
REV. AL SHARPTON, Civil Rights Activist: You said you wanted to touch the world. Well,
God had already made you for that. But you didn't touch it in a basketball court or a
football court.
God had something else for you to do, because, all over the world, George, they are marching
with your name. You touched the world in South Africa. You touched the world in England.
You touched every one of the 50 states. Even in a pandemic, people are walking out in the
streets, not even following social distancing, because you have touched the world.
And as we lay you to rest today, the movement won't rest until we get justice, until we
have one standard of justice.
Your family is going to miss you, George, but your nation is going to always remember
your name.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Let's hear more about these moments at the funeral and the community's
response.
Matt Harab is with Houston Public Media. He was listening to the service at the church
today.
Matt Harab, thank you very much for talking with us.
We know it wasn't just the Reverend Sharpton. There were other speakers today. What was
the larger message that they were delivering?
MATT HARAB, Houston Public Media: Yes, I think the larger message was one of action.
You walk in the streets of Houston, and you hear these protesters talking about how they
want reform and they want justice. And it's one thing the hear words. It's another thing
to see action. You heard in the speech today from Reverend Sharpton, along with his speeches
in Minnesota, he mentioned slavery, he mentioned voting rights, he mentioned different time
periods in American history where change was required, in their opinion.
And this is one of them. And he continues to talk about police reform. And I think that
is the larger message here, is the fact that these aren't -- they shouldn't just be words.
They should be actions as well. And I think that's what people want to see.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Matt, we know you talked to people as they entered the church. Tell us
about who was there. Tell us about whether they represent the wider Houston community.
And what were they saying to you?
MATT HARAB: It wasn't just the Houston community. Sure, you had Houstonians come out and show
their support, but I talked to a gentleman who drove here all the way from Tulsa, Oklahoma.
He is a professor.
And he wanted to be here because it's not only in support of George Floyd and the family,
but he talked about how this is a historic event. And he wanted to be here simply because
it is a historic event.
I talked to a young woman who was talking about her brother, and how she had been arrested
brutally, and this is important for her to be specifically to support him, in addition
to George Floyd.
So, you had a lot of people outside of the church as the service was going on, as the
speeches were going on, all of them with different signs, "Black Lives Matter," "I can't breathe,"
and it wasn't just Houstonians. It was people across the country who traveled here, amidst
a global pandemic, to be here today in support of George Floyd and his family.
JUDY WOODRUFF: And it is -- in fact, it's not just a national movement. You could even
argue it's international at this point.
But, Matt, what are the leaders, local leaders there in Houston saying about all this? How
are they relating to it?
MATT HARAB: Well, one of the things that Mayor Sylvester Turner talked about in his speech
today was how he's going to sign an executive order banning choke holds by the Houston police
department.
Now, this is a police department that you have to remember, leading into George Floyd's
death, we had six officer-involved shootings with civilians in the five weeks leading into
George Floyd's death. So, there was a lot of momentum locally when it comes to police
brutality. And then this kind of was just like the cherry on top.
But I think that this -- him announcing today, the mayor, that action is going to be taken,
it's not just words, banning choke holds is one of the things that has been talked about
when it comes to stopping police brutality.
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo was on the front lines in the Third Ward with protesters
a couple weeks ago as they marched from the Third Ward, the streets where George Floyd
grew up, all the way to City Hall.
So, local leaders are taking it seriously. And we're just going to have to see what happens
when it comes to reaction from the local community for things like this choke hold ban, which
the mayor announced today.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Matt Harab with Houston Public Media reporting on the funeral of George Floyd
today.
Matt, thank you very much.