Memorial Service for George Floyd Being Held Saturday in Raeford
The family memorial service for George Floyd will be held this Saturday in Raeford, Hoke County Sheriff Hubert Peterkin announced.
The public viewing for the service begins at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Cape Fear Conference B Headquarters at 10225 Fayetteville Road in Raeford.
Floyd, who was born in Fayetteville and has family in Hoke County, died in police custody in Minneapolis last week. A Minneapolis police officer has been charged with murder in his death.
“As the Sheriff of Hoke County, I’m asking on behalf of the Floyd family for those who plan on attending the viewing to be respectful to the sensitivity of the family’s time of grief,” Sheriff Peterkin said. “The memorial is about the life that Mr. George Floyd lived and this is a time to embrace the family with expressions of love and kindness.”
Anybody attending the public viewing from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. is asked to wear a mask, and no protesting is allowed, Peterkin said. A private memorial service will begin at 3 p.m. and is for family only.
Protests surrounding the death of Floyd have been ongoing around the country, including in Fayetteville. Peaceful marches were held Saturday. However, a group in downtown Fayetteville turned hostile as several people attempted to set fire to the Market House. Others broke windows in several downtown businesses, and then looting took place along the Skibo Road corridor, including at J.C. Penney’s, Walmart and Academy Sports & Outdoors.
Another protest Monday evening on Murchison Road – near Fayetteville State University – turned tense, but ended after Fayetteville Police Department officers took a knee in unison with protesters.
In addition to the Raeford viewing and memorial, at least two other services are being planned for Floyd. One will be held Thursday in Minneapolis, and another will be held Monday in Houston, where Floyd grew up. His funeral and burial will take place June 9 in Houston.
