BY ED FELIEN
What’s happening at George Floyd Square?
Well, actually, not much.
George Floyd was murdered on Chicago Avenue at 38th Street almost five years ago. Since then, the city has sponsored many, many meetings (with free food) and taken surveys to determine how to commemorate the murder of George Floyd. They seemed almost ready to finally act when Council Member Jason Chavez upended one group’s conclusion by supporting another group’s plan for a pedestrian mall running a block long in all four directions from 38th and Chicago.
But, later, the pedestrian mall seemed dead on arrival when it was discovered that state law wouldn’t allow eliminating street parking unless more than 50 percent of the businesses affected supported it. Businesses on Chicago Avenue and on 38th Street want a return to normal as soon as possible. They do not want to eliminate parking and vehicular traffic in front of their businesses.
So, it seems, we are back to the drawing boards.
Everyone agrees we must preserve the iconic Power Fist that local artists built and placed in the center of the intersection at 38th and Chicago. What the artists did by placing the Fist in the center of the intersection was to create a roundabout. But this created traffic problems because the roundabout was not wide enough for buses to navigate. This meant detours and delays and five years of less traffic for local businesses.
A standard single-lane roundabout typically has a diameter of 66 feet. The width of Chicago Avenue is about 34 feet. We would need an additional 30 feet. Normally, that would mean taking fifteen feet from each of the four corners to widen the street, but we wouldn’t want to disturb the site at which George Floyd was murdered, and the southeast corner is already fully developed. The southwest corner is the parking lot for Worldwide Outreach for Christ, and the northwest corner is the former Speedway parking lot. The city should purchase through negotiation or eminent domain a fifteen feet radius of the Outreach parking lot, and, since the city already owns the former Speedway lot, there should be no problem ceding a fifteen foot radius of that parking lot for the roundabout.
This would place the center of the roundabout about fifteen feet further west. It would be unique as a roundabout because it would be off-center. Given the meaning of the Power Fist (to disturb the status quo), this would complement the intent of the monument.
The former Speedway site should be sold to Hennepin County, and the county should build a satellite service center there to distribute food stamps and welfare benefits.
The city or some private non-profit corporation (or a group of non-profits led by the Floyd Family Center) should purchase the Cup Foods/Unity Foods building that was the scene of Floyd’s murder. We have mourned the unfair and untimely death of George Floyd for almost five years, perhaps it’s time now to celebrate his life. He worked security for local night clubs because he liked good food and good music. To honor that memory, we should have a place that spreads joy.
How about a barbeque joint with the best ribs in town?
You walk through the new entrance of George Floyd’s Rib Joint on Chicago Avenue, right at the place he was killed, and the first thing you see is a smiling, floor to ceiling, portrait of George Floyd. He’s still working security. You’re given souvenir menus that tell the story of George Floyd and tempt you with Texas ribs and Minnesota coleslaw and potato salad.
He grew up in Houston, Texas, so he must have heard of Goldee’s Barbeque — a Black-owned barbeque restaurant in Fort Worth. They just won the Bib Gourmand award from the Michelin Guide for “great food at a great value.” They have consistently been recognized as the best barbeque in Texas by the Texas Monthly. We need to study their methods, and we need to study their sauce.
Something like that would make George Floyd proud.
Jason Chavez responds:
“There isn’t support on the City Council to approve the mayor’s concept plan. This doesn’t mean we should delay the project all together. On Dec. 5th, 2024, we passed a resolution expressing our support for the pedestrian plaza concept layout. We will continue to pursue this route.
“It’s factually incorrect to say that a pedestrian concept plan is dead on arrival per state law. There is a pathway to make this happen and we will continue to pursue this route on the City Council.
“Unfortunately, the Mayor’s veto will only slow down progress and cause further delays into the future of George Floyd Square. Let’s honor the lives we’ve lost to police violence and get this right the first time.”
Jason Chavez found the nine votes to override Frey’s veto at the Feb. 27 council meeting, and the plan for a pedestrian mall at George Floyd Square stays alive.
Michael Kehoe:
“The CURA survey of 6,000 residents of the four neighborhoods had findings that will not be swept under the rug. The two most important findings are:
1) 70 percent of the respondents want Chicago Avenue and 38th Street to be restored to the state it was in before George Floyd was murdered. They want the streets fully restored without any roundabouts or bump-outs. This is the clear opinion of these survey respondents.
2) 74 percent of the African Americans surveyed do not believe the spot on the street where George Floyd died is ‘sacred ground.’ They don’t believe it. What is sacred to one person may not be sacred to another.
All of this frustration can be avoided by simply accepting what the residents have said and move the location for a George Floyd memorial over to the Peoples’ Way site. It’s a perfect and logical solution and one where everybody wins.”
