George Floyd Square

At about 8:00 p.m. on May 25, 2020, George Perry Floyd Jr., a 46-year-old black man, was killed while being arrested for allegedly using a counterfeit twenty dollar bill at the Cup Food store at the intersection of East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in the Powderhorn Park neighborhood of Minneapolis. During the arrest, Derek Chauvin, a white police officer with the Minneapolis Police Department, knelt on Floyd's neck for about nine and a half minutes after he was already handcuffed and lying face down.[16][17][18] Two other police officers, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane, assisted Chauvin in restraining Floyd, while another officer, Tou Thao, prevented bystanders from interfering with Floyd's arrest.[19] Despite bystanders who confronted the officers over his repeated statement, "I can't breathe" and deteriorating condition, Floyd appeared unconscious at the scene and was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center by ambulance. He was pronounced dead at 9:25 p.m.[20]

By late morning on May 26, 2020, the day after Floyd's death, several videos by witnesses and security camera footage of the arrest had circulated widely in the media, drawing substantial public scrutiny.[21][22] By midday, a makeshift memorial emerged at the East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue[23] and people gathered for the first organized protests.[24] Some protesters chanted, "I can't breathe, I can't breathe", words repeated multiple times by Floyd in the video captured of his death.[25] Thousands of people soon flooded the intersection.[26]

By late morning on May 27, a group of protesters had blocked the intersection East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue with a makeshift barrier as they repeated, "Whose streets? Our streets." Some people left memorials by the Cup Foods store, while some protesters spray painted the words "Justice for Floyd" and "Black Lives Matter" on the street surface. No police were present and the scene was described as peaceful.[3] Many visitors left behind flowers by the murals and sculptures created by activists to symbolize the Black Lives Matter movement. Thousands of visitors protested and grieved at the site, which was described as like a "shrine".[23]

Floyd's death and the resulting unrest in Minneapolis–Saint Paul triggered worldwide protests against police brutality, police racism, and lack of police accountability.[27][28]

The Minneapolis police said in June 2020 that they would not alter or decommission the memorial site or remove artifacts.[29] Police officers largely avoided the area in the months after Floyd's death. However, violent crime and drug overdoses by night, and the disruption to public transit and business activity by day, had city officials looking for ways in late July to create a permanent memorial while also opening the intersection back up.[5] Protesters demanded that the city meet a list of 24 demands before removing cement barricades around the intersection.[30] Among the demands were to commence the trial of the four Minneapolis police officers at Floyd's death, to recall the Hennepin County District Attorney Mike Freeman, and invest in the neighborhood association for youth programs and anti-racism training.[31]

In August 2020, the re-opening of the Cup Foods convenience store, which a 9-1-1 call from an employee led to the fatal encounter between Floyd and Minneapolis police, generated controversy. Some protesters demanded that the store remain closed for continued mourning and confronted store owners who vowed to keep the store open anyway.[32] The store, owned by a Palestinian-American family, had been a fixture in the neighborhood for three decades. The area around it had also been the location of violent crime, illicit drug dealing, loitering, and undercover police surveillance since the 1990s.[33] In December 2000, the city temporarily shut the store down for several months after recovering stolen electronics, ammunition, and materials for illicit drugs inside Cup Foods–leading to a constant police presence around the property.[34] For many of its customers, the store provided fresh produce and commodities such as cigarettes and pre-paid cellphone minutes. Though Floyd lived 20 minutes away in the nearby suburb of St. Louis Park, he was a frequent customer at the store.[33] Floyd's death led to further scrutiny of the store and its relationship with the Minneapolis police and its off-duty police officers who were known to provide paid security services. Among public conversation about how to evolve the space into a permanent memorial, some activists circulated petitions to permanently close the store.[34]

The Minneapolis Planning Commission in August 2020 recommended to the city council that the length of Chicago Avenue between 37th and 39th streets be named as “George Perry Floyd Jr Place”. Minneapolis city officials allocated $4.7 million to establish a permanent memorial at the site.[32] As part of the Minneapolis 2040 zoning plan, local officials also designated the broader 38th Street South area as one of the city's seven new cultural districts to promote racial equity, preserve cultural identity, and promote economic growth.[2] The officially designated 38th Street Cultural District includes the portion of 38th Street South from Nicollet to Bloomington avenues.[1][35]

Prior to May 25, 2020, the intersection had a reputation for gang activity, but it was transformed into a memorial space and community gathering spot after Floyd's death. By nightfall, however, the autonomous zone was known for regular gunfire incidents. In the seven-week period after Floyd's death, 11 people were shot and 233 gunfire incidents were reported in the area, which did not have a single gunfire incident during the same stretch of time the previous year. After encountering hostile crowds when responding to emergencies near the intersection, police officers avoided making patrols and responding to gunfire incidents, giving the perception that the area was a "no-go zone". Some gang members used the barricades around the site to control entrance, allowing illicit business to continue undisturbed, and authorities investigated an illegal arms dealer who used the site for gun sales.[14]

Concerns about public safety issues created tension within the community and challenges for city officials. By late 2020, a surge in the number of reported violent crimes was considerably higher in the Minneapolis Ward 8 area that included the autonomous zone than compared to city-wide averages. Some advocates argued that community members felt safer with the volunteer patrols of the area, while other residents said they did not feel welcome at the square and that the autonomous zone was an unsafe way to accomplish change.[36] When officers responded to shootings in the area, they claimed to have trouble accessing the square area and allegedly encountered hostile crowds that destroyed evidence, making investigations of crimes difficult.[37]

A blue and yellow mural of George Floyd on the side of the Cup Foods grocery store became one of the most recognizable images of the global protest movement that was sparked by his death, and a digital rendering of it served as a backdrop to his casket at his funeral in Houston, Texas.[38][39][40] Created by community artists Cadex Herrera, Greta McLain, and Xena Goldman, the mural was one of the first public artworks to emerge in Minneapolis that honored Floyd's memory in Minneapolis.[41] At the suggestions of a community member, the words "I can breathe now" were added mural to promote community healing, which meant to reflect spiritually on Floyd's dying words, "I can't breathe".[39] The work drew some criticism for being created without the input of Black artists and the nearby community, and it started a discussion about representation in the artist response to Floyd's death.[42]

Peyton Scott Russell, a Minneapolis native and street artists, created a 12-foot-by-12-foot black-and-white mural of Floyd's face. It was created in his studio over three days and re-located to the intersection in early June 2020. Pictures of the mural were shared worldwide.[40]

A large wooden sculpture of a raised fist was erected in the middle of the East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue intersection. It was created by unknown artists. The city is considering several options to preserve the sculpture, either in the middle of the intersection or relocating it to the northeast corner.[43] On Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2021, volunteers replaced the plywood fist sculpture with a steel version that could withstand weathering. It was created by local artists with the help of the nearby Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center.[44]