'The Only Way To Hear His Voice Again Was To Watch The Video': Terrence Floyd Reflects On His Brother George Floyd's Death 1 Year Later
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- George Floyd's younger brother Terrence lives in Brooklyn.
"I watched that video numerous times. I think, I want to say, maybe like 40-50 times," he told CBS2's Aundrea Cline-Thomas. "The only way to hear his voice again was to watch the video."
Terrence and George share the same father and grew up knowing about each other, but it wasn't until September of 2016 that they met face to face.
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"If you met me, then you met him. Because me, him and my father, we all had those same characteristics," Terrence said.
Terrence says their bond was instant and they had so many plans for the future.
WEB EXTRA: Extended Interview With Terrence Floyd
"It took me 30-plus years to meet him, and in a matter of five or six years, they took him from me," he said. "It's been a real emotional roller coaster, but having my friends and family, my immediate circle, you know, prayer definitely played a part in helping me keep sane."
Because beyond the hashtags and protests was a family in mourning, thrust into the spotlight as the new face of grief in a long-standing movement.
"My brother's gone, but the Floyd name still lives on," Terrence told a crowd at a memorial last June.
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"What is that like when you see the protests with the cross-section of the community all saying your brother's name?" Cline-Thomas asked Terrence.
"I miss him. I would do anything for him to be back here, you know? But I'm proud that his name is going to be in history as changing police reform, changing everything," he said.
"What do you want us to know about him?" Cline-Thomas asked.
"He wasn't no different than a member of your family," Terrence said. "He had his trials and tribulations, but he was trying to make his life better. That was the reason why he went to Minnesota."
Now, the Floyd family is taking on that spirit of making things better in George's name.
"You don't have to continue. Why do you say you want to continue in this movement?" Cline-Thomas asked.
"It goes back to my brother's words. He told me I'm a survivor," Terrence said. "Even before his demise that was his message to me -- stay strong, don't quit. We're not quitters, we're Floyds."
