Minneapolis will explore pedestrian plan for George Floyd Square after council overrides mayor’s veto

The Minneapolis City Council voted Thursday to override Mayor Jacob Frey’s veto of plans to pursue a pedestrian-only plaza at George Floyd Square — the latest progression in an ongoing disagreement over the future of the intersection where Floyd was murdered by a police officer nearly five years ago. 

The site at 38th Street and Chicago Avenue continues to be a reverent space of artwork, memorials and protest, drawing in community members and visitors — including Floyd’s family — who come to pay their respects to Floyd and other victims of police violence.

Floyd’s family had asked for the veto override, according to Council member Emily Koski, who is running against Frey for mayor and was among the nine of 13 council members who favor the pedestrian mall. She accused Frey of prioritizing convenience and highlighting infrastructure and economy over justice.

“For nearly five years, his family has come to George Floyd Square to grieve and heal. To them, this is sacred ground, a place of resilience, justice, and humanity,” Koski said. “When decisions are made without centering the needs of those most affected, they disregard the heart of justice.”

Construction that had been slated to begin this year will likely be delayed until 2026, while city staff irons out concepts for a pedestrian mall, which they had previously ruled out. It would replace a part of the road on the 3700 block of Chicago Avenue, closing it to vehicle traffic.

But Mayor Jacob Frey said the move is a waste of taxpayer money and undermines years of community engagement — which led to city staff’s proposal for an option that would repave roads open to cars, restore public transit service and readily close-off traffic for public events.

That failed proposal would not have allowed traffic to pass over the place where Floyd died and would include expanded community space, as well as other infrastructure improvements. According to the city’s chief operating officer, the city has invested more than $2 million on community engagement and staff resources for the square since 2020. 

“It has been nearly five years since George Floyd was murdered and it is time to move forward together now,” Frey wrote in his veto letter. He accused the council Thursday of letting “this site sit idle, without any meaningful development.”

One recent survey found that 15 of 20 property owners on the block, who responded, said they want traffic to flow. A state law bars cities from converting streets to pedestrian-only zones if owners of more than half of the abutting land oppose it.

“It is a complete disservice to the thousands of people who have stated their opinion, particularly African American folks who live directly in that community, who have said we want to move forward now,” said Council member Andrea Jenkins Thursday, pointing to community engagement data. 

But other council members have pushed back against the pressure to move forward and begin construction by the five-year mark since Floyd’s murder in May. 

They say they have one chance to nail a plan that, for the rest of the city’s future, will best acknowledge the square’s history: of Floyd’s memory, of the city’s reckoning with police brutality, of the community uniting to protest injustice. 

Welcoming the full return of traffic, Council member Robin Wonsley said “is a signal of erasure.”

“It’s not about street infrastructure, those investments can still happen,” Wonsley said. “We reduced George Floyd’s murder to street infrastructure and we’re packaging it [as] ‘this is how you get nice things,’ to a historically under invested Black community.”

Beyond the debate at city hall, community members and activists have also been divided over the best way to preserve the legacy of George Floyd. Some have said the city needs to address their demands for justice and invest more in community needs, including housing, before making changes at the site.

Others, including activist Al Flowers, who interrupted the meeting Thursday, say their objections to pedestrianization are being ignored.

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