The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles has reversed a posthumous pardon of George Floyd for a minor 2004 drug conviction, months after it had initially recommended the pardon.
Citing procedural errors and lack of compliance with Board rules, the state’s parole did not further explain why it denied the request to pardon George Floyd, a 46-year-old man murdered in 2020 by the former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.
“After a full and careful review of the application and other information filed with the application, a majority of the Board decided not to recommend a Full Pardon and/or Pardon for Innocence.”
The board said in its decision letter sent to Allison Mathis, the Harris County public defender working on behalf of George Floyd’s family. The letter states that Floyd’s attorney, Allison Mathis, can reapply for the posthumous pardon in two years.
“This was a chance for Texas to do a small, good thing: to take an apolitical stance that no matter who a person is, their rights need to be respected and an accurate record of their life is important.”
Mathis stated in response to the board’s decision:
“Last year, the board unanimously recommended that Mr. Floyd be granted a pardon, acknowledging that what happened to him was wrong. I have given no other facts or evidence for the board to consider, and it is unclear what happened to reverse their decision completely.”
Floyd’s surviving family filed a posthumous pardon application on his behalf in April 2021. Floyd’s attorney said they filed the request because Gerald Goines, the arresting officer in Floyd’s 2004 drug conviction, “manufactured the existence of confidential informants to bolster his cases against innocent defendants.”
Gerald Goine’s attorney, on the other hand, said Floyd’s former conviction was legitimate. “We stand by the original case. We certainly sympathize with Mr. Floyd’s cause, but that doesn’t change the fact that his former conviction was legitimate.” Goine’s attorney said.
Gerald Goines, an embattled former Houston police officer, arrested Floyd in 2004 for possession of crack cocaine and for giving the drugs to an “unnamed person.” Floyd pleaded guilty and received a 10-month jail sentence.
But Goines, a 35-year law enforcement veteran, has been accused of lying repeatedly and other unrelated charges of felony murder. He was later indicted and pleaded guilty. Goine’s case remains pending.