New mural painted in George Floyd's honor in Third Ward

Friday, June 12, 2020
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A new mural is paying tribute to George Floyd in Houston's Third Ward, where he grew up.

Overnight, artist Donkeeboy, whose real name is Alex Roman, and his mother, Donkeemom, painted the colorful tribute, which features Floyd with angel wings. A halo above his head reads "forever breathing in our hearts." The phrase is in reference to Floyd's last words, "I can't breathe," which has become a rallying cry over the past few days.

The mural is painted on the side of Scott Food Mart on Winbern, just a few blocks from Yates High School, where Floyd was a student and star athlete on the football team.

The mother-son team has painted murals all over town, including for the Houston Astros, Shipley Do-Nuts, 8th Wonder Brewery and more.

RELATED: Mom and son duo make iconic street art in Houston

The idea for Floyd's mural happened when someone sent Donkeeboy a message on Instagram.

"Here we are me, my mom and my friend Icebox. To me, it was important to show that he was a beautiful soul, he means a lot to Houston and to Third Ward," Donkeeboy said. "I am an artist. It's important to document the things that happen in our world. It was an honor someone asked me to come do this, to pay tribute to him."
"I love it, not going to lie to you, I love it for a reason, for a reason," said David, a Third Ward resident.


Donkeeboy says he and his mom had just an hour to come up with the idea.

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