Two of George Floyd’s children attended a peaceful protest in the small city where they live in Texas on Sunday — and they praised the “love” their estranged father is getting from demonstrators but denounced violence done in his name.
Quincy Mason Floyd, 27, one of George Floyd’s sons, and his sister Connie Mason Floyd, 26, joined hundreds of people at the Black Lives Matter demonstration in Bryan — a city of about 86,000 residents between Houston and Dallas.
The siblings moved to Bryan from Houston more than 15 yeas ago, they told local television station KBTX. They were “knee high” when they last saw their father, Connie said.
George Floyd lived in his native Houston until moving to Minneapolis for a “fresh start” in 2014, Texas Monthly reported.
News of 46-year-old George Floyd’s May 25 death at the hands of Minneapolis police didn’t immediately make it to the siblings. Since then, protest has swept the nation over the killing and decades of police brutality against African Americans.
“It’s too much to take in right now,” Quincy said.
The siblings didn’t realize that the man whose death sparked a national outcry was their father until their mother called Quincy.
Now the siblings find themselves both moved and troubled by the outpouring of emotion from across the country. Their voices interrupted regularly by horns honking in support of protesters, the siblings praised the gathering in Bryan in their brief interview with KBTX.
“Everyone is coming out and showing him love. I love this. My heart is really touched by all this,” Quincy said.
Connie noted she appreciates the support of protesters — but repeatedly said violence is not the answer.
“I understand it is a lot. Some people got their own way to react,” she said. “But … the violence is not the right way to do it. Now this is beautiful, but the violence — it won’t solve nothing. There’ll just be more crime, more dead.”
“I understand it has to stop, but don’t fight fire with fire,” she added.
Her brother, who seemed reluctant initially to comment on nationwide demonstrations, echoed that.
“Tearing up things, it’s not going to solve anything,” Quincy said. “My dad is in peace and we have to be the ones to deal with all this stress. It’s going to be tough to get over this, day by day.”
The siblings plan to go to Houston to meet other family members on Monday, and eventually hope to share information about their father’s funeral. He’s set to be buried in the Houston area, KBTX reported.
Family members will attend a march Tuesday in Houston, the Houston Chronicle reported.
