Thousands of mourners arrived at George Floyd‘s memorial in North Carolina, celebrating the life of the black father who’s tragic death has sparked nearly two weeks of mass protests across the country.
Local authorities anticipate somewhere between 30,000 to 40,000 people to come to the Cape Fear Conference B Headquarters in Raeford, North Carolina.
Floyd’s body arrived to the center as long lines formed outside the center as people came to pay their respects, WTVD reports.
he casket carrying the body of George Floyd is brought inside for his memorial services at R.L Douglas Cape Fear Conference B
Local authorities anticipate somewhere between 30,000 to 40,000 people to come to the Cape Fear Conference B Headquarters in Raeford, North Carolina, for George Floyd’s memorial service
Mural banners hangs with flowers inside the conference center
Floyd’s body arrived to the center as long lines formed outside the center as people came to pay their respects
The father is a native of North Carolina, originally from Fayetteville.
The memorial will include a public viewing that is scheduled from 11am to 1pm EST, followed a private memorial that will run from 3pm to 5pm EST.
Mourners could be seen wearing masks and various shirts with George Floyd’s face on it, with messages like ‘I Can’t Breathe’ on them.
The service is expected to consist of both a celebration of Floyd’s life while also condemning the police brutality that led to his death and so many other black lives lost.
A motorcycle group arrives to pay its respects to George Floyd
The crowd cheered as the motorcycle riders rode by
Mourners could be seen wearing masks and various shirts with George Floyd’s face on it, with messages like ‘I Can’t Breathe’ on them
PRI*153816909 People watch as the remains of George Floyd arrive for a viewing and memorial service at Cape Fear Conference B Church
The remains of George Floyd arrive for a viewing and memorial service. Floyd was born in Fayetteville
Flowers arrive for the viewing and memorial of George Floyd
Following the Saturday service, Floyd’s body will head off to Houston where there will be a public viewing. Floyd was raised in Houston and spent a lot of his time in the Texas city
The line of people waiting to view the coffin included families with young children and teenagers.
One young woman wore a green and gold graduation cap and gown as she walked beside her parents. Most people wore surgical masks or cloth face coverings.
When a hearse bearing Mr Floyd’s coffin arrived, chants of ‘Black Power’, ‘George Floyd’ and ‘No justice, no peace’, echoed from beneath the covered entrance.
‘It could have been me. It could have been my brother, my father, any of my friends who are black,’ said a man in the crowd, Erik Carlos of Fayetteville. ‘It was a heavy hit, especially knowing that George Floyd was born near my hometown. It made me feel very vulnerable at first.’
The casket carrying the body of George Floyd is brought into the center ahead of the memorial service
People pay their respects during a memorial service for George Floyd
When a hearse bearing Mr Floyd’s coffin arrived, chants of ‘Black Power’, ‘George Floyd’ and ‘No justice, no peace’, echoed from beneath the covered entrance
Governor Roy Cooper ordered all North Carolina flags located at state facilities to be lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Saturday.
Following the Saturday service, Floyd’s body will head off to Houston where there will be a public viewing. Floyd was raised in Houston and spent a lot of his time in the Texas city.
Floyd died on May 25 after white police officer Derek Chauvin, who has been charged with murder, put his knee on Floyd’s neck for several minutes as he lay handcuffed on the pavement, gasping that he couldn’t breathe.
Three other Minneapolis police officers – Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao – were charged on Wednesday with aiding and abetting murder in Floyd’s death.
Mourners arrive for George Floyd’s viewing and memorial service at Cape Fear Conference B Church
A crowd convenes outside the center as they wait to get in for the memorial service
Floyd’s death has empowered an international movement that has seen widespread demonstrations and civil strife in cities right across the United States and the world to condemn racism and police abuses.
Hollywood celebrities, musicians and politicians were among those to attend Floyd’s memorial service in Minneapolis on Thursday.
Civil rights leader Rev Al Sharpton delivered the eulogy, declaring it was time for black people to demand: ‘Get your knee off our necks!’
Pallbearers guide Floyd’s body into the center for the viewing
People demonstrate outside George Floyd’s viewing and memorial service