Minneapolis releases its vision for George Floyd Square

“Mourning Passage” – a list of the names of people killed by police and painted annually on the street – would remain, albeit just north of its current location.

While calling the square “a sacred place,” the city would restore vehicular access to the neighborhood’s numerous driveways, garages and alleys, with full access for public transit, emergency vehicles and deliveries. But traffic would be calmed with curb extensions, elevated intersections, a raised intersection and wider sidewalks.

The report acknowledges “emotion” about the city leading the work on the square, with some saying it did not include enough Black voices. Some critics want to see more progress toward the protesters’ original 24 “demands for justice,‘, including requiring police officers to obtain private liability insurance and firing some leaders of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, before development proceeds, especially at the People’s Way.

A community-led town hall meeting will be held Nov. 6 at Calvary Lutheran Church to discuss an alternative plan. Residents say they will urge the city to abandon its plan and focus instead on a proposal on health care and housing. They say they want the city to ensure any development honors the legacy of Black lives taken by police brutality and the trauma the neighborhood has endured.

Alexander Kado, senior project manager in charge of George Floyd Square, said the city is still receiving feedback on the report. There was a public open house dinner dialogue on Tuesday evening.

Details of the plans include: