George Floyd’s former roommate remembers his friend: ‘Every day … I see his face’ | CBC News

George Floyd was already a “giant” in Alvin Manago’s life. Floyd helped him find a job and a place to live, and they ended up being roommates for nearly four years.

Then, two weeks ago, the 46-year-old Floyd was killed after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck during an arrest, sparking international protests over police brutality against Black people. 

While Manago is mourning his friend, he takes pride in what Floyd has accomplished in death.

“That’s what I’ll always remember: ‘Big guy, you did it. You’re bigger than life, you showed the world,'” Manago told CBC News in a wide-ranging interview, sitting outside the bungalow he and Floyd shared in the Minneapolis suburb of St. Louis Park.

Floyd’s funeral will take place Tuesday in his hometown of Houston.

His name is still on the mailbox of the house in Minneapolis and his room is untouched, waiting for his family to claim his belongings. His orange Nike shoes sit by the back door, as though he were going to lace them up and head out to the basketball net in the yard, where he’d often give pointers to a neighbourhood kid.

WATCH | George Floyd’s former roommate shares details of his life:

Alvin Manago talks with the CBC’s Susan Ormiston about his late friend and roommate George Floyd, whom he described as a ‘good guy’ who treated people with kindness.   5:31 

“He was a good guy,” said Manago, while acknowledging that Floyd “struggled.”

“He tried to be strong. That was his goal — to be better.” 

Sought a fresh start

George Floyd moved to Minneapolis about five years ago, seeking better job opportunities and a fresh start. 

He’d been a high school football champion in his hometown of Houston, played college basketball in Florida, then returned to Texas but didn’t finish his undergraduate degree.

In the early 2000s, he ran into trouble, with a number of ar