Trae Tha Truth joins rallies in Minneapolis for 'friend' George Floyd

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (KTRK) -- Houston rapper and activist Trae Tha Truth arrived in Minneapolis on Friday, four days after fellow city native, George Floyd, died in police custody there.

"I'm not going for protesting. I'm going, period. I've always been a person to have my boots on the ground, and I just feel the need to be down there," he said.

Trae Tha Truth says Floyd was a friend of his. Floyd, 46, grew up in the Third Ward. He still has friends and family in Houston.

Since landing in the area, Trae told ABC13 he several other people from Houston have attended news conferences and rallies in support of Floyd. Trae also went to the area where Floyd was arrested.

"They need to understand Houston, Texas, is out there, and that was somebody's family. That was somebody's friend. That was somebody's father. That was somebody's brother. Somebody's uncle that they took away. Just a good person from Houston, and they're wrong for that," the rapper told ABC13.

RELATED: George Floyd death: Officer who put knee on man's neck should be charged, Minneapolis mayor says

Overnight, about 40 people were arrested in Minneapolis as protesters ransacked businesses. Protesters set fire to the police precinct near where Floyd died.

"It's not just about the protest. I need to go to that town," Trae Tha Truth told Eyewitness News before Friday. "I need to be in front of the house where the man who murdered him is at. I need to be where my homie lost his life."

Back at home, the Black Lives Matter group in Houston marched from Discovery Green to Houston City Hall in Floyd's name.

MORE: Houston native killed during arrest in Minneapolis was 'gentle giant,' friends say

VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED: The video above shows part of the confrontation leading to George Floyd's death. Floyd moved from Houston to Minneapolis for a better life and was described as a gentle giant.

George Floyd death: Minneapolis police station torched amid protest

A police spokesman confirmed late Thursday that staff had evacuated the 3rd Precinct station, the focus of many of the protests, "in the interest of the safety of our personnel."

'Firing them is not enough' | George Floyd's sister wants justice after brother dies in police custody

WARNING; GRAPHIC VIDEO: Bridgett Floyd called the death of her brother George "devasting" and "heartbreaking" in an interview with "Good Morning America."

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