Work crews early Thursday morning began removing the concrete barricades blocking the streets around the memorial at the site where George Floyd died last year.
Minneapolis Public Works crews began arriving before sunrise, according to video shared on Instagram by Marcia Howard, a teacher and caretaker of the square.
“Injustice closed these streets,” Howard wrote. “Only justice should open them.”
Workers placed caution tape around the giant sculpture of a raised first at the center of the intersection of 38th and Chicago, which features murals memorializing Floyd and other people of color killed by police, candles, a community greenhouse and security booths built by activists.
Minneapolis police spokesperson John Elder told USA TODAY that the department does not have personnel involved in opening the square. City officials told KARE 11 that reopening the square was a “community led” effort, but some community members appeared visibly upset and told crews to leave the intersection.
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Danielle Fabunmi, who lives in the neighborhood, told the New York Times it was painful to watch the barriers around the square be dismantled.
“A lot of people are, you know, really hurt about the way that it’s being torn down,” Fabunmi said. “There needs to be a reminder of what happened here.”
The intersection closed to traffic soon after Floyd’s death and it quickly turned into a memorial.
Floyd died after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes. Chauvin, who is white, was convicted of murder in April and faces sentencing on June 25. Three other fired officers involved in Floyd’s death will stand trial in March 2022.
The square has become a challenging spot for some city officials who said the street closure is hurting businesses and making policing the area more difficult.
City leaders pledged to reopen the square after Chauvin’s murder trial, but caretakers of the square vowed to keep the area closed until the city meets their list of 24 demands and the trials of the other officers have concluded. The demands include recalling the county prosecutor, firing the head of the state’s criminal investigative agency, and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on programs to create jobs, combat racism and support affordable housing.
Contributing: The Associated Press
Follow N’dea Yancey-Bragg on Twitter: @NdeaYanceyBragg
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