Funeral service honors George Floyd in his hometown of Houston

Texas Southern University will give George Floyd's 6-year-old daughter a full scholarship when she's college-age, the school said Tuesday. The announcement came on the day of his funeral in his hometown of Houston, where the school is located.

TSU said on Facebook that the gesture is a way it "honors the memory of George Floyd on the day that he is laid to eternal rest." 

"Mr. Floyd was a lifelong citizen of the Third Ward and a revered graduate of Jack Yates High School. The Board, in conjunction with the TSU Foundation Board, has approved a fund to provide a full scholarship for Floyd's beloved daughter, Gianna," the school said in the Facebook post. 

TSU will "prepare a place" for Gianna "if she wishes to attend the University," TSU said. 

Kadiatou Diallo was pained when she heard about the death of black Minneapolis resident George Floyd after he was arrested by four police officers. It was a difficult reminder of two decades earlier, when four white officers opened fire on her son, Amadou Diallo, killing him outside of his apartment building. 

"As the mother of Amadou Diallo, having to suffer my loss on February 4, 1999, my wound was open again," she told "CBS This Morning" co-host Gayle King. 

Across the country, people know the names of black people killed by police officers: Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd. But the sobering list is so much longer than that, and it includes a young man named Danroy "DJ" Henry.

"Ten years ago, we lost our son in the street — handcuffed. And here we are, 10 years later, George Floyd dies in the street, being handcuffed," DJ's mom, Angella Henry, told CBS News special correspondent James Brown. "And it's heartbreaking to see that nothing has changed."

Thousands of researchers and STEM professionals, including two prominent scientific journals, have vowed to not partake in business as usual on Wednesday as an act of solidarity with ongoing protests against racial injustice. The group says it plans to use that time to learn more about racial injustices and how members can better address them in the future. 

"In the wake of the most recent murders of Black people in the US, it is clear that white and other non-Black people have to step up and do the work to eradicate anti-Black racism," the website for "Shut Down STEM" says. "Our responsibility starts with our role in society. In academia, our thoughts and words turn into new ways of knowing. Our research papers turn into media releases, books and legislation that reinforce anti-Black narratives. In STEM, we create technologies that affect every part of our society and are routinely weaponized against Black people."

Wednesday's strike is a call to action for those in the STEM field to stop meetings, research, classes, and other usual activities to instead focus on "education, action, and healing." 

Read more here. 

As protests continue to grip the nation following the death of George Floyd, "CBS This Morning" co-host Gayle King anchored "Justice for All," a one-hour primetime special that explored how this tragic confrontation ignited a movement demanding an end to the painful history of systemic racism and brutality in police departments across the country. 

The special included "CBS Evening News" anchor and managing editor Norah O'Donnell's exclusive interview with former vice president and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, and also featured interviews with U.S. Attorney General William Barr and Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah).

Jeff Pegues, CBS News' chief justice and homeland security correspondent — who has been reporting on the ground in Minneapolis since Floyd's death and has written two books on policing in America — looked at the collision course that brought Floyd and former officer Derek Chauvin together.

"Justice for All" also featured King's interview with Christian Cooper, the target of a racist incident in Central Park when a white woman called police and falsely claimed he was threatening her life after he asked her to put her dog on a leash.

A horse-drawn carriage carried George Floyd's body into a cemetery in the Houston suburb of Pearland on Tuesday. Two white horses pulled it, and the gold-colored casket could be seen inside the carriage.

Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo was among people at the head of the procession, leading it into the cemetery on foot. Cars and buses followed. Many of the vehicles honked their horns as they entered.

Hundreds of people had been gathered near the cemetery for hours awaiting the arrival. Some listened to the funeral being broadcast from a church in Houston. Later, people played protest songs including Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" and Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On."

A brass band played as the casket was taken inside a mausoleum where Floyd will be buried in a private service for family.

Officials at Texas Southern University in Houston have approved a full scholarship for George Floyd's 6-year-old daughter, Gianna, if she chooses to attend TSU when the time comes, according to a Facebook post.

The announcement came the same day as family and friends honored George Floyd at a funeral in his hometown of Houston.

It's an emotional time for many people in the country, but for black police officers, the pain and frustration is extremely personal. CBS News' Jamie Yuccas speaks to Officer Antwan Denson of St. Paul, Minnesota, about what motivates him to stay on the force.

As mourners in Houston honor the life of George Floyd in Minneapolis, CBS News is learning new details from a nightclub coworker about the history between Floyd and Derek Chauvin, the former officer who is charged in Floyd's death. Not only did they know each other, but a former coworker says they had a history of friction.

Floyd and Chauvin both worked security at a nightclub at the same time. Coworker David Pinney said the two men had a history.

"They bumped heads," Pinney said. "It has a lot to do with Derek being extremely aggressive within the club with some of the patrons, which was an issue."

The Floyd family says they believe what happened on May 25 was in part personal. Their lawyer has called for Chauvin to be charged with first-degree murder, "because we believe he knew who George Floyd was."

"Is there any doubt in your mind that Derek Chauvin knew George Floyd?" CBS News asked Pinney.

"No. He knew him," the coworker confirmed. "How well did he know him?" CBS News asked.

"I would say pretty well," Pinney replied.

Read more here.

Troy University has fired its campus police chief over comments he made on social media about the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota.

Troy University Chancellor Jack Hawkins says in a statement released on the school's social media accounts that statements by John McCall didn't reflect the university's values. He says officials lost confidence in McCall's ability to lead the Police Department.

News outlets report that McCall wrote in a Facebook post that Floyd "absolutely" helped cause his own death.

One former Minneapolis police officer is charged with murder in Floyd's death and three others are charged with aiding in his death.

The U.S. Navy announced Tuesday that it is working on an order to ban the display of the Confederate flag, less than a week after the Marine Corps issued its directive to do so.

"The Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Mike Gilday, has directed his staff to begin crafting an order that would prohibit the Confederate battle flag from all public spaces and work areas aboard Navy installations, ships, aircraft and submarines," spokesman Commander Nate Christensen said in a statement.

"The order is meant to ensure unit cohesion, preserve good order and discipline, and uphold the Navy's core values of honor, courage and commitment."

The United States Marine Corps issued its order Friday, directing commanders to "identify and remove the display of the Confederate battle flag or its depiction within workplaces, common-access areas and public areas on their installations." 

Read more here.

The Phoenix police department announced Tuesday that it will suspend training and use of the carotid control technique, which involves putting pressure on a person's neck and blocking blood flow to the brain. The announcement comes amid protests over the killing of George Floyd, who died after an officer placed his knee on his neck for nearly nine minutes. 

"We can't function as a department without the trust of our community and there are adjustments we can make to strengthen that trust," said Police Chief Jeri Williams, according to a tweet from the department. "We pride ourselves on being an organization willing to learn and evolve, to listen to our community and become better."

A member of the Kentucky National Guard fired the shot that killed David McAtee, a local business owner who died last week, according to an official cited by CBS affiliate WLKY. Executive Cabinet Secretary J. Michael Brown said that damage prevented bullet fragments from being linked to a specific firearm. 

On the night of his death, McAtee was serving food at an outdoor stand amid protests over the police killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said the incident occurred after the Louisville Metro Police Department and the National Guard tried to disperse a group of protesters. 

The Louisville Metro Police Department said McAtee fired at the officers first, according to WLKY. State investigators also believe McAtee fired first, Brown said. 

When asked if McAtee could have misperceived pepper balls as bullets, Brown said the sound of a pepper ball firing is not comparable to that of a bullet. 

People are being allowed to walk up to the mausoleum in suburban Houston where George Floyd's body is set to be entombed.

Some people took photos Tuesday as they got a closer look at the site in the cemetery in Pearland, Texas. Floyd's funeral was ongoing at a church in Houston, where he lived most of his life. A private service at the cemetery was set to be held for Floyd's family after his casket arrives. 

Inside the mausoleum, a small podium was set up along with 24 chairs in three rows. Outside the mausoleum in the back, another 42 chairs were set up underneath a tent.

Two former Atlanta police officers are suing the city's mayor and police chief after they were fired for tasing two college students leaving a protest last month. The former officers, Ivory Streeter and Mark Gardner, filed a lawsuit Monday against saying they were let go without a proper investigation.

The suit claims Street and Gardner have "suffered irreparable injury to their personal and professional reputations as a result of their unlawful dismissal."

The May 30 incident unfolded live on CBS affiliate WGCL-TV. The officers used a stun gun on driver Messiah Young, 22, and passenger Teniyah Pilgrim, 20. 

Six officers were charged in the incident. Both Gardner and Streeter were charged with aggravated assault.

Read more here.

Minnesota State Patrol troopers have admitted to "strategically" deflating tires during protests following the death of George Floyd. The state's Department of Public Safety (DPS) confirmed the action, CBS Minnesota reports, after social media videos emerged of officers appearing to slash tires in parking lots amid the demonstrations.

The department said troopers deflated tires to keep the vehicles from being used in attacks against law enforcement or protesters and for the vehicles to be towed if a collection of evidence was necessary. According to DPS, it was only done in certain situations. 

Photos and videos were posted showing the damage done to tires. Jeff Wagner, a local reporter who was covering the protests, shared pictures of cars with deflated tires in a Kmart parking lot. 

Read more here.

Reverend Al Sharpton said George Floyd's death has ushered in a monumental change in the world's reaction to racism. Sharpton pointed to international protests that are no longer being led by black people alone. 

"I've seen whites walking past curfew saying Black Lives Matter," he said. "You have to reap the wrath of people who don't want to be wicked no more."

Sharpton said God chose Floyd for this moment because he is representative of so many other people suffering under the same oppression. "Floyd could have been anybody, but the reaction was not anything," he said.

"God always uses unlikely people to do his will… God took an ordinary brother, from the third ward, from the housing projects… and made him the cornerstone of a movement that's going to change the whole wide world."

Sharpton stressed that this is not the end of his involvement in the movement, saying he will be at the trial of the officers charged with Floyd's murder. He reminded people that this year's anniversary of the March on Washington on August 28 will also honor Floyd.

"We're going to keep marching, we're going to keep protesting," he said.

Steve Wells, the senior pastor at South Main Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, called out white churches during his speech at George Floyd's memorial on Tuesday. 

"I'd like to say a word to white churches: 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," Wells said.

He thanked the Floyd family for allowing him to speak at the memorial, noting that "everyone would have understood if you said: 'We don't need to hear from any white people today. You've been silent long enough, you can be silent one more day.'"

"But... you asked the whole community to come together," he said, calling the family "a model for not just America, but for the whole world."

"You have been asked to carry a burden that would have crushed most people, and you have borne it with grace and courage," he said. "You've called those who disrupted protests with violence or looting to honor George's life with love. You called on a president who sought to dominate to live in a peaceful world where we deliberate."

Wells concluded by sharing that at his church, "it is easy to not talk about racism." 

"At my church, it is easy to dismiss as politics the economics of hundreds of years of systemic racism, but not talking and not acting is the path to destruction."

He said of white people: "You have to take up the work of racial justice."

"Racism did not start in our lifetimes, but racism can end in our lifetime. But only if you ask and I ask: 'What are we going to do about it?'"

Grammy-winning singer Ne-Yo said George Floyd's death was a sacrifice that "changed the world" before performing during his memorial service. Ne-Yo shed tears on Tuesday while singing a rendition of G.C. Cameron's "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday." The singer paused on a few occasions to collect himself during his performance.

"Fifty states are protesting at the same time," he said. "This man changed the world. He changed the world for the better. I would like to personally thank George Floyd for his sacrifice so that my kids could be all right later on. I appreciate the sacrifice. I genuinely do."

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee says George Floyd's death ignited a plethora of protests around the world involving people of different races. Lee said during Floyd's memorial service on Tuesday that his death helped shine a light on police brutality against unarmed black men and women.

"I want to acknowledge those young marchers in the streets," she said. "Many of them could not be in this place. They are black and brown, they are Asian. They are white. They are protesting and marching. And I'm saying as a momma, 'I hear your cry.' That is what George Floyd wanted us to know."

Lee said she is unable to remove the Floyd's last words "I can't breathe" from her head. But the congresswoman said his death served a purpose.

"His assignment turned into a purpose," she said. "And that purpose was heard around the world. There are people rising up that will never sit down until you get justice."

A video tribute to George Floyd and the movement sparked by his death was shown at his funeral service on Tuesday. Those gathered at the church cheered as clips and photos of Floyd throughout his life were displayed. The video also included photos from protests that have gripped the nation, and world, in the wake of Floyd's death.

The moving video was accompanied by the song "My World Needs You" by American gospel singer Kirk Franklin.  

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner has announced that he will sign an executive order that bans chokeholds in the city. Turner's announcement Tuesday came during the funeral for George Floyd at a church in Houston, the city where he lived most of his life.

"In this city, you have to give a warning before you shoot," Turner said. "In this city, you have a duty to intervene."

The sheriff of Harris County, which includes Houston, earlier in the day said his office will immediately implement a new "duty to report" policy for deputies and increase audits of use of tasers and body cameras. Sheriff Ed Gonzales announced the directives in a series of tweets.

Gonzalez said his office already prohibits the use of chokeholds

Joe Biden spoke at George Floyd's memorial service Tuesday via video. Having lost several close family members himself, Biden said he and his wife Jill "know the pain" in the hearts of Floyd's family. 

"Unlike most you must grieve in public, that is a burden," Biden said, noting that he spoke to Floyd's family before the ceremony about his shared experience of grieving in the public eye.

He also spoke directly to Floyd's 6-year-old daughter Gianna in the video, saying: "You're so brave, daddy's looking down and he's so proud of you."

"I know you have a lot of questions… no child should have to ask questions that black children have had to ask for generations," he said.

Biden called for the end of the "systemic abuse that plagues American life," and said that getting justice for Floyd's death is only the beginning of rectifying that abuse. 

While the funeral service for George Floyd on Tuesday was private, at least 50 people gathered outside the Fountain of Praise church to pay their respects. Some held signs with messages including "Black Lives Matter" and "Together because of George Floyd."

"There's a real big change going on and everybody, especially black, right now should be a part of that," said Kersey Biagase, who traveled more than three hours from Port Barre, Louisiana, with his girlfriend, Brandi Pickney.

The couple wore matching T-shirts she designed, printed with Floyd's name and "I Can't Breathe," the words he uttered before his death.

Several police officers from Texas Southern University stood guard at the sanctuary entrance, wearing face masks printed with Floyd's dying words. The historically black school is next to the Houston housing project where Floyd grew up. 

Mourners began to say their final goodbyes to George Floyd on Tuesday as his casket was closed in Houston, Texas. He was previously memorialized in Minneapolis, where he was killed, and North Carolina, where he was born.   

Floyd's casket was left open for mourners, a nod to Emmett Till, a black 14-year-old who was brutally murdered in 1955. Till's casket was left open at the request of his mother, so that people could see what was done to her son.

Pictures showed people pausing at Floyd's casket in the Fountain of Praise church as his funeral service started. 

Hundreds of people showed up to the service with no expectation of getting inside. Instead they showed their support and solidarity outside the church. A large crowd is also expected to stand along the funeral procession route. 

The celebration began with a reminder that, while Floyd's death sparked a national movement against racism and police violence, in life he was a beloved father, brother and friend.

"We may weep, we may mourn… but we will find hope," one speaker said.

George Floyd's funeral service is now underway in Houston. Among those in attendance is Rev. Al Sharpton, who is expected to deliver Floyd's eulogy.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday that New York City will paint "Black Lives Matter" on prominent streets in all five boroughs.

The message will be painted first on a street near City Hall, and then other locations in other boroughs in the days to come, the mayor said, CBS New York reports.

"A proposal put on the table was to name streets in each borough and to paint the words on the streets of this city. In each borough, at a crucial location," de Blasio said. "What will be clear in the street name and on the streets of our city is that message that now our city must fully, fully, deeply feel - and this nation must as well - that Black Lives Matter."

The move comes after the mayor of Washington D.C. had "Black Lives Matter" painted on a street in huge letters near the White House.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz issued a proclamation Tuesday asking Minnesotans to hold a moment of silence as George Floyd's funeral service begins in Texas.

"The world watched in horror as George Floyd's humanity was taken away from him," Walz's proclamation says. "We will not wake up one day and have the disease of systemic racism cured. We must do everything in our power to come together to deconstruct generations of systemic racism in our state so that every Minnesotan - black, indigenous, brown, or white - can be safe and thrive."

The governor is asking that the moment of silence start at 11 a.m. local time (12 p.m. ET), when Floyd's funeral is scheduled to start, and last for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. 

Read more from CBS Minnesota.

An NYPD officer who was caught on video violently pushing a protester to the ground last month was hit Tuesday with several criminal charges, including assault. He is the first NYPD officer to be charged for his conduct during the city's ongoing wave of protests for police reform.

Vincent D'Andraia, who has been in the NYPD for five years, is charged with misdemeanor assault, criminal mischief, harassment and menacing, the Brooklyn district attorney's office said. The 28-year-old cop was suspended without pay after videos posted on Twitter showed him shoving a woman at a Brooklyn protest on May 29.

"I fully support the long-held American tradition of non-violent protest. As District Attorney I cannot tolerate the use of excessive force against anyone exercising this Constitutionally guaranteed right," Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement. "This is especially true of those who are sworn to protect us and uphold the law. I am deeply troubled by this unnecessary assault. We will now seek to hold this defendant accountable."

Read more here.

George Floyd will be laid to rest on Tuesday at a cemetery in Pearland, Texas, following his funeral.

CBS affiliate KHOU reports his body is expected to arrive there around 1 p.m., and that he will be in a horse-drawn carriage for the last mile of the funeral procession.

"The public is certainly welcome to pay respects at public locations on the route, including on sidewalks," the city said. "Barricades are being placed along the procession route on Cullen where the horse drawn carriage will travel to prevent vehicular access and pedestrian access to the roadway. These barricades will help keep visitors safe and help maintain traffic safety."

"Attendees are requested to stay behind the barricades to provide a safe travel location for the procession and to ensure safety of Mr. Floyd's family," it said. "With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, attendees are also encouraged to wear masks and maintain social distancing from those not known to them as much as possible."

Amadou Diallo, a 23-year-old West African immigrant, was shot and killed in 1999 when New York City police officers fired 41 times outside his apartment building. Since the recent news of George Floyd's death in Minneapolis, his mother, Kadiatou Diallo, told "CBS This Morning" co-host Gayle King she felt like she was reliving what happened to her son all over again.

"As the mother of Amadou Diallo, having to suffer my loss on February 4, 1999, my wound was open again," she said.

Diallo became an activist in the years since Amadou's death, working to improve relations between police and the community. She said George Floyd's heartbreaking last minutes of life, in which he repeatedly said "I can't breathe" and begged for his own mother, struck a chord with her.

"Every mother heard him," when Floyd cried out for her, she said. "We heard George Floyd. We hear him."

Read more here.

When protests for George Floyd began to organize in Denver, demonstrators were met with force by Denver police officers. Tactics they used initially were toned down after several days, but not without bringing the department under fire itself first, CBS Denver reports.

"Any time an excessive crowd control measure like tear gas and rubber bullets and flash bang grenades and the like, anytime they are used against Denver citizens by Denver police I think it's incumbent on city council to dig in," councilman Paul Kashmann said.

Kashmann chairs the safety committee of the Denver City Council, and with the full support of his fellow council members is calling for an investigation by the Office of Independent Monitor.

"Take a look. Does Denver have the correct use of force policy in place? And if they do, was it properly implemented during the demonstrations?" he asked.

The request comes as complaints against DPD for excessive force continue to build through emails, calls and even directly from the council floor. 

According to a spokesperson for the police department, Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen and Executive Director of Public Safety Murphy Robinson acknowledge and support calls to review the use of force policy from Denver City Council.

San Jose Police Chief Eddie Garcia announced crowd control policy changes in a memo to his officers Monday, more than a week after violent clashes between his police force and protesters. The changes include restrictions on the use of projectiles such as rubber bullets to disperse crowds, CBS SF Bay Area reports.

The department has been accused of excessive force and misconduct after complaints were filed, injuries were reported and cell phone videos surfaced of violent confrontations.

"Effective immediately in crowd control situations ... Projectile Impact Weapons will only be used in situations where a person is actively attacking an officer or another person or when an armed agitator poses a threat to officers or other peaceful protesters," Garcia wrote in his memo.

He also said, "The current department policy prohibits the use of chokeholds ... however, given recent events, we are updating policy language to clearly and expressly prohibit chokeholds using any body part to apply pressure to the neck including the knee."

Garcia ended the memo voicing his support to prohibit officers fired for gross misconduct from being hired at other departments.

George Floyd, who was 46 when he was killed, will be laid to rest on Tuesday next to his mother. His funeral in Houston will be private.

Floyd's death sparked international protests and drew new attention to the treatment of African Americans in the U.S. by police and the criminal justice system. In the past two weeks, sweeping and previously unthinkable things have taken place: Confederate statues have been toppled, police departments around America have rethought the way they patrol minority neighborhoods, legislatures have debated use-of-force policies, and white, black and brown people have had uncomfortable, sometimes heated, discussions about race in a nation that is supposed to ensure equal opportunity for all.

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden met with George Floyd's family in Houston Monday, family attorney Benjamin Crump tweeted. Crump said Biden "listened, heard their pain, and shared in their woe. That compassion meant the world to this grieving family.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Monday paid his respects along with hundreds of other people mourning the death of George Floyd at a church in Houston, where Floyd grew up. The Republican governor stood by Floyd's body in a gold-colored casket at the Fountain of Praise church Monday for about 15 seconds, then lowered his head with his hands folded for several seconds more.

Abbott told reporters outside the church that he will include Floyd's family in discussions about police reform and any related legislation.

"George Floyd is going to change the arc of the future of the United States. George Floyd has not died in vain. His life will be a living legacy about the way that America and Texas responds to this tragedy," Abbott said.

Abbott said he planned to meet privately with Floyd's family and present them with a Texas flag that was flown over the state Capitol in Floyd's honor. The governor wore a striped crimson and gold tie, which he said was in honor of Floyd as those are the colors of Floyd's high school.