As memorials to George Floyd are being erected in American cities, so too are social media claims surrounding his past, including one stating that Floyd was involved in multiple violent crimes.
The July 18 Facebook post is a screenshot of a tweet from former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik. It includes a photo of a statue of Floyd being unveiled in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Juneteenth, a celebration of the end of slavery. Alongside the picture is a statement: "I wonder if the statue has a plaque listing all his good deeds and his contributions to society." The statement then follows with a list that includes "3 car thefts" and "23 arrests".
Kerik added in his tweet, "WTF is wrong with our country?"
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Floyd was killed in Minneapolis in May 2020 by a police officer who pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for several minutes during an attempted arrest. His death sparked nationwide protests against police abuses and galvanized a movement for racial justice. The officer, Derek Chauvin, was convicted of murder this year.
Floyd had a criminal history, but the claims in the Facebook post exaggerate or completely fabricate elements of that record, court documents show.
Attorney Jennifer Lammers, who represents Floyd’s estate, and Floyd family attorney Ben Crump didn’t respond to our requests for comment. PolitiFact also reached out to Kerik regarding his tweet. Neither he nor his team responded to a request for comment.
Here is a look at what the post says about Floyd’s criminal background, and what court documents and news reports say.
Claim: Arrests, armed robberies, home invasions and theftsThe claim begins its list by stating that Floyd was involved in "three armed robberies, two violent home invasions, six burglaries and three car thefts." That’s exaggerated.
According to reports from The Washington Post and the Houston Chronicle that detail Floyd’s life, he and his family moved from North Carolina to Houston when he was a young child, and he spent most of his life there. He was arrested nine times there, according to public records accessible in the Office of the Harris County Clerk’s database — not 23 times as the claim states.
List of Floyd's charges, Office of Harris County District Clerk
Floyd was arrested twice for theft charges: One was a theft of $50 to $500, and the other is listed as a "theft from person," which was a part of a plea deal to lessen the charge from aggravated robbery. Neither case’s charging documents state that a car was stolen.
