Mayor, city council members address reopening plans for George Floyd Square

KSTP

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Minneapolis leaders addressed the city Thursday after barriers were moved to reopen the 38th Street and Chicago Avenue intersection to traffic, and amid differing community viewpoints on the removal.

Mayor Jacob Frey, City Council Vice President Andrea Jenkins and City Council Member Alondra Cano, along with representatives of The Agape Movement, provided an update on the phased reopening of the 38th and Chicago intersection.

Frey said the area "should not and will not" look the same prior to George Floyd’s death last year. He added it will be a community-led effort going forward. Frey said the move was led by a group called The Agape Movement, who was present at the news conference Thursday.

KSTP’s Eric Chaloux reported city hall leaders sent emails to the city council once the barricade removal process was underway Thursday morning.

Earlier Thursday, a city of Minneapolis spokesperson told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that the effort Thursday was a community-led reconnection process.

Frey, Jenkins and Cano issued a joint statement on the process:

As crews remove barriers around George Floyd Square, city leaders address plans for intersection

The city’s three guiding principles for the reconnection of 38th and Chicago have been community safety, racial healing and economic stability and development for Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian and other communities of color.

The Agape Movement brought together community leadership to begin facilitating the phased reconnection this morning, with the city playing a supportive role. We are grateful for the partnership.

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.

Alongside city leadership, we have met on a regular basis with community members to discuss both the short-term path toward reconnecting this area and the long-term plan for the neighborhood with sustained investments to help restore and heal the community.

The city plans to hold a press availability later today to answer questions regarding the reconnection.