Veto override clears path to explore pedestrian mall at George Floyd Square

In February, the Minneapolis City Council overrode Mayor Jacob Frey’s veto of the council’s directive for reconstructing 38th and Chicago. Their action, according to Ward 9 Council Member Jason Chavez, means the city is moving forward with a concept that “guarantees pedestrianization” at George Floyd Square.
“In addition to cultivating and protecting the existing memorial from non-delivery, maintenance, and emergency vehicles, the pedestrian mall concept would also provide new boulevard spaces that will allow for plantings, trees, and stormwater treatment areas and prioritize traffic calming, safety, and accessibility improvements,” wrote Chavez in a Ward 9 update to constituents the day after the vote.
Ward 11 Council Member Emily Koski, who had previously voted against the council’s direction for the Square, joined eight of her colleagues in overriding the mayor’s veto. In her Ward 11 newsletter, Koski said George Floyd’s family called on her to overturn the veto. “For nearly five years, his family has come to George Floyd Square to grieve and heal. To them, this is sacred ground, a place of resilience, justice, and humanity. It is not just an intersection; it is a memorial,” she wrote.
The day before the council vote, community leaders and neighbors held a press conference at the Peoples’ Way calling for the override to enable community to develop a shared vision for the Square.
Mileesha Smith, co-chair of the Community Visioning Council (CVC), said the process of healing should not be rushed and that the community needs more time.
“We as people need time and space, with the patience of everyone to come together, to be able to say what this space needs to be able to function for everybody,” said Smith. “Not just us as community. But the residents, the businesses and the people who fly in to take in, embrace this space we have been holding here for going on five years.”
Rev. Dr. Jia Starr Brown said the space has grown to represent Black and Brown people whose lives were stolen at the hands of police.
“People experiencing injustice in all forms and systems now also claim connection to this place. This place for gathering, for remembering, for grieving, healing and ultimately transforming. This is indeed a transformational space,” she said. She spoke of the compassion, hospitality and educational leadership of the community that has embraced and educated thousands of people over the past five years.
“We need this healing space so we can remember, so we can rise,” she said.
Marcia Howard, who has lived at 38th and Chicago for 26 years, said people visiting Minneapolis tend to go to the Mall of America, the Spoonbridge and Cherry sculpture, Paisley Park and now, George Floyd Square.
“We’re talking about [the 3700 block of Chicago Ave.], where families and their bapas and their nanas are walking across to mourn, to grieve, to reflect and pay tribute, each and every day from all points of the globe. They are here in our fair city,” said Howard. A map posted on a community board at the Square is often full of pins marking visitors’ homes or places of origin.

Doing the work
The CVC has been meeting monthly on third Saturdays for over a year and has just added weekly Wednesday evening meetings to continue their work.
“The Community Visioning Council has been doing the outreach, been listening to the people, been making space, creating space, redirecting the hurt into doing the work instead of harming each other,” said Smith. As community, they are working to figure out what they need and looking out for one another.
Asked whether the CVC supports the pedestrian plaza over the flexible open plan, which was the original recommendation by project leaders, Smith said, “We have to weigh all our options and figure out what the domino effect is gonna be before we say what we feel is best.”
Here, Howard added that in any option the safety of the people who will still be at George Floyd Square must be first and foremost.
“To paraphrase Malcolm X, ‘We didn’t land on Plymouth Rock, Plymouth Rock landed on us.’ We’re sorry we inconvenienced people and capitalism by having a Black man lynched here and having the rest of the world wanna come here. Sorry that it landed on a bus stop. Sorry that it landed in front of a deli. Sorry that George Floyd happened to inconveniently get lynched on a roadway. Oops,” said Howard.
As to the question of what the area needs, a couple of people in attendance called for meeting the 24 Demands of Justice Resolution 001.
“This area needs systemic oppression to end,” added Howard, who explained that as a former high school teacher, she’s lost seven students in these streets.

The Peoples’ Way
At Sabathani Community Center that same evening, four applicants presented their plans for developing the Peoples’ Way. Rise and Remember, who has been caretaking the memorial and offerings since 2020, proposed a memorial garden and gathering space. The other proposals were for new builds at the site.
P3 Foundation (David’s Place) would create a community center with a memorial garden. The Urban League would create a four-story building with a museum, community center and garden. Minnesota Agape Movement would build a six-story building with a gift shop, museum, business incubator, media hub, bar and restaurant (see “Range of building types, uses proposed for Peoples’ Way,” in the February 2025 Longfellow Nokomis Messenger).
The selection will ultimately be made by the city council and mayor.
The Community Visioning Council meets Wednesdays at 3715 Chicago Ave. from 5:30-7:30 p.m. and third Saturdays from 10 a.m.-noon in the Belfry Community Space (3901 Chicago Ave.). More information can be found at Gfscvc.org.
Immediately following the monthly meeting from 12-1pm, also at the Belfry, 612 MASH is offering free self care services, including blood pressure checks and glucose testing, acupressure and de-escalation skills. No reservations are needed, and walk-ins are welcome.
612 MASH (Minneapolis All Shall Heal) is a healthcare advocacy nonprofit that works to bridge the gaps between underserved communities and critical resources by connecting people with available health and medical services. They are volunteer-driven and are always looking for new clinical professionals and bilingual volunteers to join the team. For more information or to request a self care fair at an event or gathering, they can be reached on Facebook or at 612mash.org.