Construction on George Floyd Square is set to begin in two weeks as Minneapolis revamps the memorial site six years after his murder.
In May 2020, Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, was killed on the streets of Minneapolis while being arrested by a white city cop, Derek Chauvin, who knelt on his neck for more than 9 minutes after arresting him for allegedly using counterfeit money to buy cigarettes.
Chauvin and three other police officers present were convicted and sentenced to prison in connection with Floyd’s murder.
The intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, now known as George Floyd Square, has become a gathering place for the community to honor Floyd.
At the end of March, the city announced that “street and infrastructure improvements” on George Floyd Square would begin in June and would be completed next year.
“The goal is to move forward with care—supporting remembrance, gathering and safety while honoring the significance of this place,” the city said in a press release at the time.
Community members will still be able to gather during construction, the city said. But officials noted that the locations of those gathering spaces may change.
The first day of construction will be on June 8, local outlet KMSP reported.
Originally, the city council wanted to turn the area into a pedestrian mall, but after pushback from some businesses and residents, that plan was scrapped, according to KMSP.
Now, the city plans to reopen the intersection to cars and buses while keeping a memorial area closed to traffic, per the local outlet.
The revamped area will include flexible gathering spaces, art and memorials and green space, according to the city. It will also have bikeways and on-street parking.
City officials noted, “The project team is working with artists and community members to preserve, document and reinstall memorials and artworks.”
Floyd’s murder sparked nationwide protests, some of which turned violent, against racial injustice. In particular, demonstrators were protesting against police violence against Black Americans.
Chauvin was convicted of murder in a state court trial and pleaded guilty to willfully depriving Floyd of his constitutional rights by using unreasonable force in a federal plea deal.
He also admitted to injuring a 14-year-old boy in a 2017 incident. Chauvin was sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison for the murder conviction and 21 years in prison for violating federal civil rights law.
Three other police officers present during Floyd’s murder, Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane, were also found guilty of federal civil rights offenses and were each sentenced to several years in prison.
George Floyd Square lives on as an” important space for racial healing and justice among many members of the community and visitors from all over,” according to Minneapolis’ tourist site.
