Biden to meet with family of George Floyd in Houston

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden plans to meet with the family of George Floyd, whose death in Minneapolis police custody sparked protests across the country, in Houston on Monday.

Biden will offer his condolences to Floyd’s family and record a video message for Floyd’s funeral on Tuesday, according to news reports.

The former vice president will reportedly not attend the funeral due to concerns about his Secret Service protection causing a disruption at the service.

Unidentified sources told The New York Times that Biden wanted to provide in-person condolences to the family. 

The decision for Biden to travel to Houston reportedly came after internal discussions of what his role would be in the funeral. Benjamin Crump, an attorney for the Floyd family, said last week that the former vice president was planning to attend.

The Biden campaign did not immediately return a request for comment. 

Floyd died after being detained by police in Minneapolis last month, The 46-year-old African American became unresponsive after former officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for about nine minutes while Floyd said he couldn’t breathe. 

Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder, and the other three officers present at the arrest were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder. All four officers were fired the day after Floyd died. 

A memorial service was held for Floyd last Thursday in Minneapolis, with another occurring Saturday in Fayetteville, N.C. where Floyd was born. A public viewing will take place on Monday in Houston with a funeral on Tuesday. 

Biden’s travel plans are the first outside of Delaware and Pennsylvania following the stay-at-home orders issued to prevent the spread of  coronavirus.

The former vice president has called on Congress to reform police policies and address racial inequality in response to Floyd’s death. He also criticized President Trump for threatening to use the U.S. military to respond to demonstrations over Floyd’s death.