Detroit on the Mississippi: George Floyd Square

Documenting the decline and fall of a once great Midwestern city.

Your correspondent drove through George Floyd Square this morning, my first trip to the site since the unfortunate events of two years ago.

The site sits at the intersection of E. 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in south Minneapolis. Traffic barriers were removed exactly a year ago, and the intersection is now open to traffic in all four directions. A week ago, the city officially rebranded the site with a sign at the intersection.

Here is my video of the drive west through the Square.

Near the beginning of the video, you can catch a glimpse of a mural to quarterback Colin Kaepernick. That’s followed by Cup Foods.

Passing through the intersection, you can see the memorial in the street. The former Speedway gas station on the other side has now given way to the headquarters for local activist groups.

This video is driving east through the intersection.

Looking at the middle of the road, you can see that the traffic barriers are gone, replaced by a series of monuments in the roadway.

The “autonomous zone” may no longer appear as prominent, but neither has it returned to a fully functioning neighborhood.