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Lowell Tuttle
A perspective on one of the "low-life's" you branded, David.
Nine arrests. 8 years in jail/prison. 4 arrests drug related . One was with and using a weapon. All these are drug related...Obviously a nice guy gone wrong trying to make up.
Before he left Houston a few years ago, Floyd was a familiar face in the Third Ward. Family members say he never lived anywhere else in Houston outside the historically black neighborhood south of downtown. Those close to him say he was a “gentle giant” whose laid-back nature caught people by surprise because of his 6-foot6-inch frame. He earned the nickname “Big Floyd.”
A basketball and football standout, Floyd became well-known for his athleticism among his peers at Jack Yates High School. Now, Edwards and the Yates community mourn the loss with Floyd’s family.
“The person who you see in that video was kind, well-known in his community and took the opportunity to (befriend) incoming freshman and make it easier, at least for me, to have a friend in a new environment,” Edwards said. “For that I’ll always be appreciative. My heart goes out to his family.”
“I had never seen him be violent in high school or ever heard about him being violent after that,” said Michael Hickey, the current Yates football head coach and a 1991 graduate of the school. “I don’t know a lot about his adult background, but I’ve heard nothing but good things. He was always smiling every time I saw him.”
Maurice McGowan, the Lions’ football head coach from 1989 to 2001, said Floyd focused on basketball and was persuaded to take up football. He ended up on one of the school’s most memorable football teams — the 1992 squad that went 13-2-1 before falling to Temple in the Class 5A Division II state championship game. Floyd, a tight end, tallied three catches for 18 yards in the title game.
On the basketball court, Floyd’s skills earned admiration from his classmates. Edwards said his ability to handle the ball motivated him.
“He was fluid,” Edwards said. “You know how some people make awkward moves? Well he knew how to handle the rock and how to get to his spots and where he wanted to go … seeing someone that tall but moving that agile, I thought ‘If somebody taller than me can handle the ball that well, then I shouldn’t have any issues.’”
After high school, Floyd went on to play basketball at South Florida Community College but didn’t finish school, according to Roxie Washington, the mother of Floyd’s 6-year-old daughter.
Upon his return to Houston, Floyd began making music with the Screwed Up Click, a hip-hop collective led by legendary Houston musician DJ Screw. Many artists in the group, including Big Moe and Kiwi, were connected to the Third Ward, Washington said.
“They were in the neighborhood just about every day,” she said.
Floyd moved to Minneapolis after he struggled to find work in Houston, Washington said. They often kept in touch.
“It’s cruel — they took him away from my daughter,” Washington told Chronicle on Tuesday. “She’ll never see her father again.”
He worked as a truck driver and more recently as a bouncer at Conga Latin Bistro.
“He was tall and muscular,” said Vernon Sawyerr, who overlapped for about four months with Floyd at Conga. “Just super kind. When you saw someone like that, he might seem imposing, but he was super sweet.”
Floyd also had similar duties at the Salvation Army’s Harbor Light homeless shelter in downtown Minneapolis in 2017 and early on in 2018.
In the wake of his death, former NBA player and Port Arthur native Stephen Jackson has been among the most vocal public figures. Jackson wrote 12 Instagram posts about Floyd on Tuesday, some showing photos of them hanging out together and photos Floyd had sent from Minneapolis. Jackson referred to Floyd as his “twin” because of their resemblance.
“Everybody knows me and Floyd called each other ‘Twin,’” Jackson wrote. “My brother was only out there in Minnesota, he was changing his life, he went to Minnesota, he ar prison sentence as part of a plea deal on a 2007 charge of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, Harris County court records show. Following his release, Washington said they raised their 6-year-old daughter together. He was a loving father, she added.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension announced that the FBI is conducting a federal civil rights investigation into Floyd’s death. The state bureau is conducting its own investigation at the request of the police department, according to a statement. It will release its findings to the Hennepin County District Attorney’s Office.
The Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday from the New York Times. The head of the union said in a statement to the local news media that people should not rush to judgment while the investigation is ongoing, the Times reported.
“Our officers are fully cooperating,” the union head, Lt. Bob Kroll, said. “We must review all video. We must wait for the medical examiner’s report.”
Matt Young, Adam Coleman and wire services contributed to this report.
was driving trucks. I just sent him two, three boxes of clothes. My boy was doing what he was supposed to do, man, and y’all go kill my brother, man. I’m on my way to Minnesota, man. Whatever I can do, can’t let this ride, dog.”
Starting in 2009, Floyd served a five-ye
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