Activists aren’t ready to leave George Floyd Square
Crews have removed the barricades, art and flowers, upsetting some in Minneapolis.
Work crews on Thursday removed the concrete barricades, artwork and flowers from the street where George Floyd died last year, but activists continue to occupy the square.
City officials have said for months that George Floyd Square should be reopened, but some organizers who have occupied the space since his death believe it should remain closed until the city meets their list of 24 demands to achieve justice.
Minneapolis crews began arriving before sunrise, according to video shared on Instagram by Marcia Howard, a teacher and caretaker of the square.
“Injustice closed these streets,” Howard wrote. “Only justice should open them.”
Workers placed caution tape around the sculpture of a raised fist at the intersection of 38th and Chicago, which features murals memorializing Floyd and other people of color killed by police, a community greenhouse and security booths built by activists.
Traffic briefly flowed, but activists continue to occupy the square and have installed impromptu barricades to replace the ones taken down earlier. Dozens gathered near the intersection, singing, chanting and listening to speeches expressing frustration.
The effort to open the square was “community-led” with the help of The Agape Movement, a nonprofit that stepped in to provide security in the square, according to Mayor Jacob Frey and other city officials. Frey said at a press conference the city worked to preserve the art and keep the fist statue intact as part of a permanent memorial. The mayor vowed to invest directly in Black-owned businesses in the square to promote racial justice and healing.
Frey acknowledged that the intersection “will forever be changed,” and emphasized that the reopening will occur in phases. “We recognize there is still pain associated with this street,” Frey said. “Full reconnection is not going to happen all at once.”
Steve Floyd, an Agape founder not related to George Floyd, said the need to open the square intensified due to violence. Dameon Chambers was shot at the square when people had gathered to celebrate Juneteenth. Shots were fired during an event commemorating the anniversary of Floyd’s death, leaving one person injured.
Floyd said the barricades were removed early in the morning to avoid confrontations with activists.
Jay Webb, who helped build the memorial, told MPR the removal came as a surprise and that it should be left untouched. “That they try to come at 5 o’clock in the morning to try and displace us is further proof that they’re trying to marginalize us even more,” Webb told the outlet.
Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, called the removal an attack on Floyd’s legacy. “This space is a space that has now become a national memorial,” Hussein said.