More than four years after the death of George Floyd, local residents are still divided about how the city should redevelop the intersection that now bears his name.
City planners unveiled three street concepts for George Floyd Square last month, along with five ideas to redesign the People’s Way, a former Speedway gas station.
At a public engagement session Tuesday, community members raised several issues, from fundraising for the final plans to a vision that would honor Floyd’s legacy.
Most of the feedback centered on what the People’s Way should become and how to preserve art and memorials that already exist in the area. Participants also emphasized the importance of racial healing in the process.
“We get to set the mark, the world is coming here, they’re converging on us,”Jay Webb, a caretaker of George Floyd Square, said at the meeting. “This is for our children’s children’s children that we’re building this.”
Tuesday’s meeting was part of a monthly workshop series that began in March. The city has partnered with the Cultural Wellness Center in Minneapolis to carry out the community engagement process.
The intersection of E. 38th Street and Chicago Avenue is where George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis police officers in May 2020.
The city plans to start construction next year, and it could take one or two construction seasons to complete. The city currently does not have an estimate on how much the project will cost.
Opening the intersection
City planners released three concepts to open up the intersection, which are based on community engagement the city has conducted since 2021. The proposed ideas are an open concept, a transit mall or a pedestrian plaza.
The open concept will continue regular vehicular traffic and restore the Metro Transit D Line and Route 5 bus. The transit mall would restrict vehicle access to local traffic, emergency responders and buses. A pedestrian plaza would run north of the intersection, and would not allow buses to return to the area, but Route 23 could continue on 38th Street.
All three concepts will allow for wider sidewalks and space for memorials and art. Community members at Tuesday’s meeting emphasized prioritizing pedestrian safety, the need for alleyways to be updated in addition to main roads and preserving existing art on the streets.
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The city purchased the People’s Way property in 2023. Since 2020, it has been boarded up and covered in protest art. It continues to be a place for gatherings and protests.
The city has released five ideas for the People’s Way site, which show the building in different sizes, ranging from one to six stories high. All of the plans include adding more greenspace outside the building.
The city says community input they receive about the People’s Way ideas will inform a request for qualifications or RFQ process. The RFQ will give the rights to a community developer to create the final design.
The RFQ application is expected to open in September, and remain open for two months. Community members at the meeting said that a partnership between nonprofits would be more effective than just one group overseeing the entire project.
Serving residents and visitors
Community members emphasized that whatever the People’s Way becomes, it should benefit the residents and local businesses in the area. They also said it should be a place that people could spend time in, like a community center, not just something people would drive by.
“We got to figure out what’s needed in the community, not just what’s wanted in the community,” said Reginald Ferguson, a neighborhood resident and founder of the Minnesota Agape Movement.
Participants said the building could have more than one purpose. Other ideas put forward included a museum, an art gallery and an education service center.
Some community members expressed concern that it will be the responsibility of the group who is selected to oversee the People’s Way project to raise the funds to build it.
“That seems like a misplaced burden on community,” said Ace Rice, who was born and raised in the neighborhood.
The city says it will collaborate when needed to help the selected group identify and secure funding.
More than four years after Floyd’s murder, there isn’t a clear consensus among the community or city of what the site should become, Rice said.
“I think the four years has shown an inability to react, to prioritize, to organize and to unify around any common goal,” Rice said. “If we don’t have a goal, a vision of what we’re going for, it’ll end up in a bunch of desperate ideas that don’t necessarily answer what the actual need is.”
Some community members at the meeting, including Rice, pointed to other memorials or museums across the country for inspiration. But some said that nothing like this has been created before.
How to provide input
The next community workshop is scheduled for Sept. 24 at 5:30 p.m. at The Square at Chicago Ave. Shops, located at 3736 Chicago Ave. in Minneapolis.
The city will present its report at a community meeting on Oct. 29 at 5:30 p.m. at The Square at Chicago Ave. Shops.
The Office of Public Service will take its plan to the Minneapolis City Council on Nov. 12. The council will not vote on it on that date, but the city will need approval later from the council on infrastructure improvements.
Another community visioning process separate from the city’s work is taking place at Calvary Lutheran Church located at 3901 Chicago Ave. S. every third Saturday of the month.
Correction: This story has been updated to better reflect the timeline of the city’s meetings with residents.
