George Floyd's Coworkers Memorialize Him At 'Place That Got Him On His Feet'

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- At the Salvation Army Harbor Light Service Center, staff and residents took time to honor George Floyd Tuesday.

Floyd worked there as a security guard.

Outside Harbor Light, staff and residents gathered to remember one of their own.

"Floyd was a security guard, I actually trained Floyd," said Darlene Phillips.

Phillips says Floyd helped brighten the lives of his friends, family and community during his time on earth.

"Floyd has changed the world. He didn't just change one city, one state, one police department. Floyd is changing the world. Anybody who sat back and watched it just spread all over the earth, different countries, different nations," Phillips said.

Staff members and their families gravitated to Floyd. Cortez Rice called him uncle and says Floyd inspired him to do more for his community.

"We just grew a relationship and grew a bond where our kids were calling him uncle. He always says blood don't make you family, loyalty does," said Rice.

"This is a place that got him on his feet, people that gave out of their own pockets and out of their hearts to him," said Courteney Ross, Floyd's girlfriend.

Ross made sure to visit the people and place she says helped Floyd figure out his life had meaning. Seeing the T-shirts, balloons and all the people Floyd called family come to honor him brought her to tears.

"It's still like a dream and a nightmare all in one. A dream because all this changed and all these wonderful people support him, a nightmare for me because I miss him every day. I don't know if that will ever go away," Ross said.

Ross says she hopes every heart mends with time from what happened a year ago and she believes the impact Floyd had on the city and nation will never go away.

Harbor Light staff says they continue to work serving those experiencing homelessness, a form of activism for social justice. They believe Floyd would be proud of how they honor him every day in their work.