Minneapolis staff to unveil plan to renovate George Floyd Square

More than four years since Minneapolis police killed George Floyd, city officials say it’s time to step in and begin construction of a road at the intersection where he died, a site that continues to attract protests, public gatherings and visitors from around the world.

On Tuesday night, city officials will announce a plan to redesign the street at the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, the result of years of community research and city analysis. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2025.

Some neighbors agree that the street needs to be repaired. But critics say it’s too early for the city to get involved.

The streets have been open to traffic since 2021, when city officials removed barricades at the ends of the streets. But a group of neighbors still meets twice a day near the old Speedway gas station, now painted over and named People’s Way. The group supports resources such as a free wardrobe, community events and artwork.

City services such as garbage collection and ambulances still operate here; the city also owns People’s Way. But the day-to-day maintenance of the square is mainly handled by the community.

Neighbor Tina Gauti-Yellow spent a recent afternoon helping unload groceries to offer to passersby. She said it was a unique place.

“This is what community looks like: We come here and take care of this area, take care of each other,” Goti-Yellow said. “We want people to have access to clothing when they don’t have money. We have free coffee in the morning.”

Now the city says it’s time to start building streets.

Plans were in the works before May 2020 and stalled for years after Floyd’s killing. The roads are aging and there are lead pipes underneath them. City planners want to change that.

Alexandre Cado is the city project manager overseeing the work at George Floyd Square. He knows the construction could cause backlash, but said it is necessary.

“Some people want George Floyd Square to stay the way it is. Some people want things to go back to the way they were before his murder happened, but the reality is that neither of those polar extremes is really tenable,” Cado said.

Cado said the city needs to make sure it can provide basic services here, such as access to homes, businesses, driveways and sidewalks.

The city is considering several potential street projectswhich staff presented at a community meeting earlier this year. One idea is to limit traffic on the street to local vehicles and buses; another proposes building a pedestrian plaza in the 3700 block of Chicago Avenue, blocking vehicular traffic in front of the site where Floyd was killed. Another plan called for the restoration of all traffic in both directions.

All plans include street landscaping, sidewalk improvements and public gathering areas. Cado said this is based on public feedback.

The city solicited community feedback in multiple rounds. Last summer, five engagement sessions attracted about a hundred participants each.

“We as a city have always tried to respect how the community has used this space, but basically we are trying to provide basic services,” Cado said. “It’s unique in that we’re trying to maintain basic access but still respect the way the space is used.”

Employees are thinking through construction logistics. Cado said they plan to keep the plaza open on May 25, 2025, the five-year anniversary of Floyd’s killing. They are also working on plans to preserve the artwork. The square contains murals, iconic statues of fists at the entrances and in the center of the square, and a list of names of people killed by police painted on the road – a list that the artist is still adding to.

The road project is part a broader vision of George Floyd Square that the city developed through community participation.

“The People’s Way” also will eventually be restored. The city is currently accepting proposals from organizations interested in redeveloping the site. These proposals are due to be submitted in November this year. City officials said they will consult with neighbors and choose an organization to partner with on the redevelopment.

The city is looking for a group to preserve green space and community gathering space; An organization selected by the city will create a more detailed plan in collaboration with the city and the public.

A memorial is also being prepared. The Floyd family is working with the organization Stand Up and Remember to plan such an intersection.

Cado said all of these steps are ongoing and will likely take years. Street reconstruction is the city’s next step.

Some neighbors agree it’s time for a redevelopment. Many residents and business owners in the plaza want to see their tax dollars reinvested here through infrastructure improvements.

Victoria Lauing is the founder and executive director of the Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center, an art studio on the square. She said it was unfair that the city left streets unimproved for so long – even before Floyd’s killing.

“This intersection — 38th Street, Chicago and the 38th Street corridor — has a long, long history of disinvestment, and a long, long history of many, many people who spend countless hours sharing their visions, dreams and make plans.” Lauing said. “Now is the time to make those investments.”

But organizers of the ongoing protest in the square said they don’t want that money spent on roads here. They would prefer that those funds be used for mental health or housing services or invested in construction elsewhere on 38th Street.

Goughty-Yellow attended city engagement events and felt her views were not heard by staff. She is concerned that staff are not listening to feedback from people who say it is too early to intervene.

“The city knows what it wants and they’re just pushing it,” she said. “And it’s extremely inappropriate for them to talk about something like that because they’re the ones who caused the damage.”

She points to a list of 24 demands that organizers compiled by knocking on doors and engaging with the public during the summer of 2020, asking neighbors what changes they wanted to see in the city to bring justice.

Demands range from housing funding to changes in criminal justice policy. Many of them were completed; some, such as the repeal of qualified immunity and the firing of State Bureau of Criminal Apprehension officers, did not. The city administration says that they cannot do this.

Marcia Howard lives on the square and helped write the 24 demands. She said they were non-negotiable.

“This is a protest,” Howard said. “If anyone thinks that new asphalt provides compensation, then you are mistaken, and until people clearly understand what the meaning of the occupation is, we must still stand and we must still educate.”

Cado said the city will hear more feedback at Tuesday’s meeting; The city has developed a concept for the redevelopment, but staff can still make changes until the plan is finalized. Staff will then present the concept to the Minneapolis City Council on Nov. 12.