Minneapolis renames intersection for Floyd

MINNEAPOLIS » The intersection where George Floyd died at the hands of Minneapolis police officers was renamed in his honor Wednesday, among a series of events to remember a man whose killing forced America to confront racial injustice.

Floyd’s brother Terrence was among family members to attend as a commemorative street sign marked the corner of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue as “George Perry Floyd Square” on the two-year anniversary of his death.

Floyd thanked hundreds of people who turned out to honor his brother, singing songs as they marched a block-long stretch to finish at the intersection.

The renaming was followed by a candlelight vigil at a nearby ceremony.

The intersection quickly became known informally as George Floyd Square soon after Floyd’s death, with a large sculpture of a clenched fist as the centerpiece of memorials.

“Today we honor two years since George Floyd was murdered by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said in a statement earlier Wednesday. “Each day since, we have remembered George Floyd’s life and legacy as a friend, father, brother and loved one. His name has been heard in every corner of our world.”

Colten Muth, 32, visited the intersection Wednesday before the vigil to “make sure I’m paying homage because his sacrifice made a huge impact on the world.”

Muth, who identifies as mixed race, recalled watching the bystander video of Floyd’s dying moments from his home in the Minneapolis suburb of Burnsville. He said it hit him especially hard because he grew up just blocks from the corner, walking to the convenience store there many times as a kid.

“That could’ve been me facedown in the pavement,” he said. “It shook me to the point like even where I was living I had a sense of fear just walking around my own neighborhood.”

Muth called Chauvin’s conviction a “first step” toward holding police accountable, but said the city has done nothing substantial to improve policing.