The site where George Floyd was killed on May 25, 2020, at the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis has evolved into a significant memorial ground. Today, the descendants of George Floyd continue to advocate for the site as a historic landmark. In the background, local activists are raising conflicting accounts and stirring public opinion over its future. While some desire a pedestrian plaza with memorials and shops, others urge the city to prioritize returning traffic to the area to revitalize local businesses.
In the years since Floyd’s death, the intersection has evolved from a vibrant South Side neighborhood corner into a tragic memorial site. Family members Roger Floyd and Thomas McLaurin have been vocal about their wish for the area to be commemorated in a manner that honors George Floyd’s legacy. Roger Floyd pictured a lively pedestrian plaza named in honor of his brother. Additional elements to this plaza will include shop-able storefronts and an urban community library.
The city of Minneapolis recently put down $2 million to learn how their community felt. Beyond that, they invested more than 17,000 hours of staff time to conduct an extensive survey of local residents, property owners, and business owners. Results from the survey revealed that more than 70% of the approximately 6,000 participants opposed a pedestrian plaza that would limit vehicular and bus traffic. A flexible open streets plan was the most well-loved option. This new approach would make it possible to bring back bus routes and traffic, all while permitting a memorial to be built.
Council member Linea Palmisano, who oversees Ward 13—located about a mile and a half from the memorial site—has taken note of these findings.
“You don’t usually get 70% or more of people saying the same thing, that they want a vibrant corridor, not one that is closed off.” – Linea Palmisano
Palmsiano’s comments underscore a shared desire among residents to find a path forward that strikes a better balance between commemoration and practicality. She generated the most media attention by expressing her frustration at the constant delays to see a plan for revitalizing the commercial corridor adopted.
“Here we are almost five years out from the murder of George Floyd, and we still do not have a plan to move forward, to revitalize the area and honor the memory of Mr. Floyd. I find that to be incredibly shameful. We are not honoring Mr. Floyd by doing nothing.” – Linea Palmisano
Nobody understands these feelings more than local business owners. Meanwhile, they’ve seen businesses in their district hurt and close as a direct result of less traffic on the thoroughfare. Having watched the lack of visitors almost ruin his business, Dwight Alexander, co-owner, Smoke in the Pit.
“By the neighborhood being so closed, the negative energy is keeping people from inside Minneapolis coming up here,” – Alexander.
His testimony spoke to the dire straits of his small business, with revenues down nearly 50%. This decrease is largely a result of decreased vehicular and pedestrian activity. Alexander was clear that the hostile environment around George Floyd Square prevents a lot of would-be customers from even coming. So, they decide to avoid the region altogether.
“A lot of people don’t even want to come up and visit no more, just because of the output and the impression on the neighborhood.” – Alexander
This exciting dynamic begs the question of how we best remember George Floyd while supporting local development and community enrichment in the process. These continuing conversations are part of a larger national conversation around commemoration in American cities after tragedy so often strikes.
Yohuru Williams, a professor of history, emphasized that American society often seeks to resolve calamities with joyous narratives, overlooking deeper issues.
“When you aim for the tragedy with a happy ending, the wages for that are always this form of forgetting, and then you’re just waiting for the next incident to reawaken people’s sensibilities.” – Yohuru Williams
As debates continue about the future of George Floyd Square, residents of the community are still torn. Local community leader Jason Chavez recognized this complexity before highlighting the need to never forget what happened at this site.
“It caused ripple effects across the country and across the globe, and I think that it was a reminder to residents in Minneapolis that police brutality continues to be a thing that happens to Minneapolis residents.” – Jason Chavez
Chavez continued to develop this idea, describing how monumental moments such as the death of Floyd gradually become incorporated into complex city narratives.
“We can’t sanitize what happened here in the summer of 2020.” – Jason Chavez
The continued municipal backlash has led city officials to change course. A federal study on the proposed pedestrian plaza is now delaying plans. A wide range of community members now enthusiastically back the idea of trying a flexible open street concept. Local businesses such as Alexander’s need projects like this to get back to normal. Ihrke said they’re just starting to feel like traffic is coming back.
“We want this neighborhood back to where it was before.” – Alexander
The city’s fraught and contradictory attempt to navigate its relationship with George Floyd Square provides a window onto larger societal conflicts over memorialization and moving forward. Regardless, officials continue to deliberate and weigh their options. Everyone is eager to do justice to George Floyd’s legacy, while jumpstarting the economically stagnant area where he lost his life.