Floyd 'changed world', family told

"We survived segregation, but we didn't reconcile," he said. "It's time for a Department of Reconciliation in the highest land."

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who represents central Houston, said Floyd's purpose and his assignment are to bring justice to the US.

"What I will say is that the assignment of George Floyd and the purpose will mean there will be no more 8:46 of police brutality," referring to the number of minutes and seconds Chauvin pressed down on Floyd's neck.

"There will be no more 8:46 of injustice and the mistreatment of African American men at the hands of the laws of this nation or anyone else. There will be no more 8:46 that you will be in pain without getting justice."

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner proclaimed that June 9 will be designated George Perry Floyd Day in the city of Houston.

Turner said the city's attorney was drafting an executive order that will ban police tactics like the ones that killed Floyd and others.

"And what that order will say is that in this city, we will ban chokeholds and strangleholds. In this city, we will require de-escalation. In this city, you have to give a warning before you shoot. In this city, you have a duty to intervene. In this city, we will require comprehensive reporting. In this city, you must exhaust all alternatives before shooting," Turner said.

Brooke Williams, the niece of George Floyd, demanded justice for her uncle. "No justice, no peace," she said. "No more hate crimes, please. Someone said 'Make America Great Again,' but when has America ever been great?"

Floyd's brother Philonise spoke of waking up in the middle of night thinking about his brother. "All I can think about is when he was yelling for mama … every mom felt it," he said. "I want justice for my brother, my big brother."

Steve Wells, senior pastor at South Main Baptist Church in Houston, said that he would have understood if the family had said "we don't need to hear from any white people today".

Referring to the white churches, Wells said: "We are better than we used to be. But we are not as good as we ought to be. And that is not good enough. Which means you have to take up the work of racial justice."

The Reverend Al Sharpton, a civil rights activist and MSNBC talk-show host, delivered a eulogy emphasizing Floyd's legacy and the action his death has sparked across the globe.

"You said you wanted to touch the world," said Sharpton. "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're marching with your name.

"And as we lay you to rest today, the movement won't rest until we get justice. Until we have one standard of justice," Sharpton said.

Sharpton directly addressed Floyd at the end of the four-hour long service: "Your family's going to miss you, George, but your nation is going to always remember your name. Because your neck was one that represented all of us."

Ivy McGregor of The Fountain of Praise announced at the funeral that the president of Ghana would be permanently adding Floyd's name to a wall at the Diaspora African Forum in the W.E.B. Du Bois Center in Accra.

After the funeral, Floyd's body was escorted by officers of the Houston Police Department and taken to Houston Memorial Gardens in Pearland in a white carriage drawn by two white horses. White flowers were placed on top of the carriage.

People lined the street to observe the procession and shouted Floyd's name when the carriage passed.

Floyd was buried next to his mother, to whom he called out with his last dying words.