Minneapolis police claim obstruction following recent shooting; City Council member wants George Floyd Square reopened

After two people were shot at 38th Street and Chicago Avenue Sunday night, the Minneapolis Police Department sent an email to City Council Members Andrea Jenkins and Alondra Cano, which said they had trouble getting to the area and when they did get to the scene of the shooting the evidence had been handled by people who oversee George Floyd Square.

George Floyd Square is cordoned off by a four-block area with barricades and is referred to by some as an "autonomous zone."

The email to Jenkins and Cano from a Minneapolis police inspector said, "I just wanted you to be aware of another incident at this location. Hostile crowds destroying evidence and initially refusing to entrance by ‘security.’"

Police sources: Officers denied access to evidence after shooting near George Floyd Memorial

Jenkins told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS she supports the memorialization of George Floyd Square and wants it to become a permanent fixture as she and others on the City Council pursue racial justice and police reform. But she does not condone any action which inhibits police investigations.

"We want justice for everybody and it concerns me and I am not happy with what I read in the email," said Jenkins. "To somehow disrupt or delay that kind of response is completely irresponsible and an obstruction of justice."

Jenkins said for the sake of unity and restoration of goodwill, the four-block area surrounding George Floyd Square needs to be reopened and the barricades need to come down so the neighborhood and city can start to move forward with healing.

"We need to acknowledge the injustices that are happening and overcome those harms," Jenkins said. "We need to overcome these things so we can rebuild 38th and Chicago and make it an economic engine for the black community again."

Jenkins said she is hosting a virtual meeting with community organizers and activists who oversee George Floyd Square next week and wants it open to the public so there is a dialogue about a reopening of the area. Jenkins said she is hopeful can happen "before the end of January."