George Floyd Square: Who’s to blame for what tourists see?

The intersection forever known to locals as 38th and Chicago Avenue is now known worldwide as George Floyd Square. In a gut-wrenching nine infamous minutes, the South Minneapolis location would become ground zero in the quest for justice, a global awakening, as we watched Brother George suffocate under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer on national television. Due to the Covid-19 restrictions at the time, most of us were in sleep mode, avoiding the outside as much as possible

Along with the world, we were traumatized as we watched four Minneapolis police officers choke and hold down a helpless George Floyd as witnesses and children yelled and pleaded with the officer to take his knee off the man’s neck. The witnesses were threatened with pepper spray or mace if they didn’t back off. 

I’m glad that the young lady who videotaped the incident had the mindset, steady hand, and courage to pull out her phone and record. Without her, finding justice here would have been next to impossible.

Fast forward to May of 2024. George Floyd Square is still a tourist attraction for people who visit Minnesota for various reasons. And I do believe people are coming to see George Floyd Square with good intentions. But nothing has really changed in this community. 

I often ask people I get the privilege of having conversations with from all over the world if it looks like anything has been done to help this community. Almost 90% said no, not even knowing what it looked like before George Floyd’s murder. That’s the sad part.

But should outsiders know about the community that intersects 38th & Chicago? The answer is no—they were only drawn to pay respect to a man who lost his life in this community. In fairness, many are visiting from cities with worse crime and murder rates than Minneapolis, like Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit, Washington, D.C., and Memphis. They have their own communities to fix and be concerned about.

If I could wave a magic wand or have it my way based on what I’ve heard from the community directly and indirectly, it would be like Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma. With Black and brown businesses, grocery stores, and a cultural hub that brings resources, programs, healing and money to Black and brown communities, it would be filled with historical art.

From tourists, I often hear the word “awareness,” and we’re here “paying our respects”.  I also hear and know that change takes time.  However, for Black and brown communities change always takes longer. Again, we’re going on in the fourth year with hardly anything that shows growth or improvement in this community. With an incredible opportunity and even greater cause to turn a community around, the City is emitting crickets—just deafening silence.

Granted, the question begs who should be responsible for what tourists see when they arrive. I believe that an impoverished community with limited resources can only do so much. Thus the  onus falls on the city of Minneapolis, Hennepin County, and even the governor’s office to turn this site into a visual and economic beacon of social justice. 

Why is it taking so long to come up with a design that will infuse vitality and economic life into this small area that has become a top tourist attraction? It’s starting to look like the city is not committed to the cause of social justice after all. If Floyd had been murdered in downtown Minneapolis I‘d wager it would be one of the most attractive monument sites in the country, infusing every business in the area.

However, I’m optimistic that things will get better.  That’s one of the many reasons I go to 38th and Chicago every day, to bring hope and show my community what change looks like. I was born and raised in South Minneapolis. Being what I needed at a young age was what Johnny Turnipseed told me, may he rest in peace. 

Transforming street energy into community is the motto of the MN Agape movement. We must strive to put the neighbor back into the hood. We as a community also have a role to play in the upkeep and safety of our beloved neighborhood.

Unfortunately, four years later, what should be an amazing visual story of hope and empowerment is nothing but a continuation of the tragedy that took Floyd’s life. George Floyd Square is tragic for the community, for the businesses in the Square, and for tourists who travel from across the world to view it! 

The city of Minneapolis is missing a golden opportunity to pump life into this community.

Marquise Bowie is a social justice activist who has a tourist agency dedicated to the memory of George Floyd.