Work crews on Thursday removed the concrete barricades, artwork and flowers from the street where George Floyd died last year, but activists continue to occupy the square.
City officials have said for months that George Floyd Square should be reopened, but some organizers who have occupied the space since his death believe it should remain closed until the city meets their list of 24 demands to achieve justice.
Minneapolis Public Works crews began arriving before sunrise, according to video shared on Instagram by Marcia Howard, a teacher and caretaker of the square. Howard, who lives just steps away from the square, said she and other community members learned earlier this week that the city was planning to remove the memorial.
"Injustice closed these streets," Howard wrote. "Only justice should open them."
Workers placed caution tape around the giant sculpture of a raised first at the center of the intersection of 38th and Chicago, which features murals memorializing Floyd and other people of color killed by police, candles, a community greenhouse and security booths built by activists. It took less than four hours to clear the barriers, artwork, flowers and other items from the street.
Traffic briefly flowed through the intersection, but activists continue to occupy the square and have installed impromptu barricades to replace the ones taken down earlier.Dozens gathered near the intersection, singing, chanting and listening to speeches expressing frustration.
The effort to open the square was "community-led" with the help of The Agape Movement, a nonprofit that stepped in to provide security in the square, according to a statement from Mayor Jacob Frey, City Council Vice President Andrea Jenkins and City Council Member Alondra Cano.
"We are collectively committed to establishing a permanent memorial at the intersection, preserving the artwork, and making the area an enduring space for racial healing," the statement said.
Minneapolis police spokesperson John Elder told USA TODAY that the department does not have personnel involved in opening the square.
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Jay Webb, who helped build the memorial, told MPR the removal came as a surprise and that it should be left untouched.
“That they try to come at 5 o’clock in the morning to try and displace us is further proof that they’re trying to marginalize us even more," Webb told the outlet.
Danielle Fabunmi, who lives in the neighborhood, told The New York Times that it was painful to watch the barriers around the square be dismantled.
“A lot of people are, you know, really hurt about the way that it’s being torn down,” Fabunmi said. “There needs to be a reminder of what happened here.”
The intersection closed to traffic soon after Floyd’s death and quickly turned into a memorial. The square has become an almost sacred space for collective mourning, healing and joy.
Residents celebrated in the street in front of Cup Foods, where Floyd was handcuffed, in April when former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of Floyd's murder.Chauvin faces sentencing on June 25. Three other fired officers involved in Floyd's death will stand trial in March.
On the one-year anniversary of Floyd's death, the square was transformed into an outdoor festival and candlelight vigil.
The square has become a challenging spot for some city officials, who said the street closure is hurting businesses and making policing the area more difficult.
City leaders pledged to reopen the square after Chauvin's murder trial.
"People are hurting," Police Chief Medaria Arradondo said during a press conference. "They need that intersection reopened. The best public safety remedy right now is to open up and get that intersection flowing again."
Caretakers of the square vowed to keep the area closed until their demands are met and the trials of the other officers have concluded. The demands include recalling the county prosecutor, firing the head of the state’s criminal investigative agency, and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on programs to create jobs, combat racism and support affordable housing.
City officials said in a statement that they have met on a regular basis with community members to discuss the long-term plan for investing in the neighborhood to "restore and heal the community."
Contributing: The Associated Press
Follow N'dea Yancey-Bragg on Twitter: @NdeaYanceyBragg
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