Texas Governor’s Decision: Whether to Pardon George Floyd

December 21, 2021by Paul J. Weber, Associated Press
Texas Governor’s Decision: Whether to Pardon George Floyd
A button that reads "I can't breathe," adorns the jacket of a mourner before the funeral for George Floyd on Tuesday, June 9, 2020, in Houston. (Godofredo A. Vásquez/Houston Chronicle via AP, Pool, File)

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Doling out pardons is a holiday tradition for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who around every Christmas grants them to a handful of ordinary citizens, typically for minor offenses committed years or decades ago.

But one name stands out on his desk: George Floyd.

Abbott has not said whether he will posthumously pardon Floyd this year for a 2004 drug arrest in Houston by a former officer whose police work is no longer trusted by prosecutors. Texas’ parole board — stacked with Abbott appointees — unanimously recommended a pardon for Floyd in October.

Since then, the two-term Republican governor, who is up for reelection in 2022, has given no indication of whether he will grant what would be only the second posthumous pardon in Texas history. Floyd, who was Black, spent much of his life in Houston before moving to Minnesota, where his death under the knee of a white police officer last year led to a U.S. reckoning on race and policing.

“It doesn’t matter who you think George Floyd was, or what you think he stood for or didn’t stand for,” said Allison Mathis, a public defender in Houston who submitted Floyd’s pardon application. “What matters is he didn’t do this. It’s important for the governor to correct the record to show he didn’t do this.”

A spokeswoman for Abbott did not respond to requests for comment.

Pardons restore the rights of the convicted and forgive them in the eyes of the law. Floyd’s family and supporters said a posthumous pardon for him in Texas would show a commitment to accountability.

In February 2004, Floyd was arrested in Houston for selling $10 worth of crack in a police sting. He pleaded guilty to a drug charge and served 10 months in prison.

His case happened to be among dozens that prosecutors revisited in the fallout over a deadly drug raid in 2019 that resulted in murder charges against an officer, Gerald Goines, who is no longer with the Houston force. Prosecutors say Goines lied to obtain a search warrant in the 2019 raid that left a husband and wife dead, and the office of Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg has since dismissed more than 160 drug convictions tied to Goines.

Goines has pleaded not guilty and his attorneys accuse Ogg of launching the review for political gain.

Abbott has several primary challengers from the far right, and his ongoing silence about a potential pardon for Floyd has raised questions by Mathis and others over whether political calculations are at play. His office has not responded to those charges.

Abbott attended Floyd’s memorial service last year in Houston, where he met with the family and floated the idea of a “George Floyd Act” that would take aim at police brutality. But Abbott never publicly supported such a measure months later when lawmakers returned to the Capitol, where Republicans instead made police funding a priority.

State Sen. Royce West, a Democrat who carried the “George Floyd Act” in the Senate, said he understands the politics if Abbott was waiting until after the GOP primary elections in March. But he said the governor should act on the recommendation.

“As he’s always said, he is a law and order governor,” West said. “And this would be following the law.”

___

A+
a-
  • George Floyd
  • Greg Abbott
  • pardon
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Police

    September 12, 2024
    by Tom Ramstack
    Judge’s Ruling Creates Possibility Police Will Need to Hire Mental Health Staff

    WASHINGTON — Mental health advocates won a significant victory this week when a federal judge in Washington, D.C., decided they... Read More

    WASHINGTON — Mental health advocates won a significant victory this week when a federal judge in Washington, D.C., decided they could move forward with their lawsuit that challenges the use of police to handle mental health crises. They argue that mental health experts should be sent... Read More

    Video Shows Officers Dragged Tyreek Hill Out of His Car After He Put His Window Back Up

    MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — A police officer dragged Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill out of his sports car... Read More

    MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — A police officer dragged Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill out of his sports car by his arm and head and then forced him face-first onto the ground after Hill put up the window of his car during a traffic stop... Read More

    Tyreek Hill Detained by Police Before Dolphins Game. Officer Subsequently Placed on Leave

    MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins was handcuffed and placed face down on a street... Read More

    MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins was handcuffed and placed face down on a street outside the team's stadium after he was stopped for speeding and reckless driving Sunday morning before the Dolphins' first game of the season, an incident that left... Read More

    Police Deny Venezuela Gang Has Taken Over Rundown Apartment Complex in Denver Suburb

    AURORA, Colo. (AP) — Police in the Denver suburb of Aurora say a Venezuela street gang with a small presence... Read More

    AURORA, Colo. (AP) — Police in the Denver suburb of Aurora say a Venezuela street gang with a small presence in the city has not taken over a rundown apartment complex — yet the allegation continues to gain steam among conservatives and was amplified by former... Read More

    August 20, 2024
    by Tom Ramstack
    Israel-Hamas War Protesters Sue Police Over Confrontation in Washington

    WASHINGTON — As one set of Israel-Hamas war protesters pushed against police lines in Chicago this week, another group is... Read More

    WASHINGTON — As one set of Israel-Hamas war protesters pushed against police lines in Chicago this week, another group is suing over a confrontation last fall outside the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C. The nine people who filed their lawsuit last week said Capitol... Read More

    September 19, 2023
    by Tom Ramstack
    Crime On and Around Capitol Hill Takes Center Stage at Longworth Briefing

    WASHINGTON — Washington, D.C.’s, frustration with rising crime was taken up in Congress Monday when federal officials held a briefing... Read More

    WASHINGTON — Washington, D.C.’s, frustration with rising crime was taken up in Congress Monday when federal officials held a briefing to warn staff members about their personal safety. The crime that already has claimed victims among Capitol Hill staffers also is driving arguments between Congress and... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top