Ahead of June 2 George Floyd march, Mayor Turner calls for peace, coronavirus protection

Houston Mayor Sylvester said he will join the family of George Floyd for a march in Floyd's honor June 2.

The march, organized by Houston rappers Bun B and Trae the Truth, will be attended by some of Floyd’s family members and friends as well as by city officials, Turner said.

Mayor Turner also discouraged attendees of the march from looting or contributing to other disturbances and said such violence is not what Floyd would have wanted.

"If you're true to the cause, why would you do anything to take away from this special moment for his family [and] friends?" Turner said. "When the family is saying that this is not what George would want, why would you want to do anything that would take that away?"

Floyd grew up in Houston’s Third Ward and was killed in the custody of the Minneapolis Police Department. A video of his death, as well as news of the two high-profile deaths of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, both of whom were black, set off days of unrest throughout the U.S. beginning May 29.

Marches in Houston remained peaceful through the day Friday and Saturday, though nearly 200 arrests were made Friday evening by the Houston Police Department.

Turner said anyone interested in participating in the march should wear masks, carry hand sanitizer and attempt to maintain social distance to the fullest extent possible.

The march begins at 3 p.m. at Discovery Green and ends at Houston City Hall.