Five years later, Minneapolis remembers George Floyd though some say racial justice progress has stalled

Gyanna Dickerson participated in numerous marches after the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.

But as she visited George Floyd Square with her boyfriend Sunday to commemorate the five-year anniversary of Floyd’s death, Dickerson voiced concern that the progress toward racial justice she had watched gain traction has taken several steps backward over the years.

“I feel like a lot of things have not changed,” the 57-year-old said. “We need to get the right people in office to make changes … locally and nationally. It just seems like a lot of fake promises. … What has been done?”

On May 25, 2020, Floyd was pinned by his neck and killed by police in the street in south Minneapolis. His death sparked a historic wave of calls to action to end police brutality and systemic racism. While that racial reckoning spread across the world within days, its long-term impact has become less clear as the political climate has shifted.

Crowds trekked to 38th Street and Chicago Avenue on Sunday to celebrate Floyd’s life and legacy. As the years have passed, commemorations on the anniversary of his murder have become less intense, said Eric Coleman, who served on an events security team Sunday. But, he said, the day still brings people together.

“It’s sad that an event like this had to happen for the community to come together,” said Coleman as he sat near the sculpture of a huge raised fist that’s become synonymous with George Floyd Square. “But in the end, that’s what you really want.”

On Memorial Day weekend — a time usually reserved for remembering fallen veterans — Floyd’s presence was felt throughout the Twin Cities — from author readings to prayer circles, concerts and more.

“I appreciate this day because the sacrifice [Floyd] made was one that enabled us to realize the needs in all our communities,” Pastor Curtis Farrar told the gathering.

A few blocks from George Floyd Square, a few people walked among rows of cardboard headstones, each emblazoned with the name of a Black person killed by police. The “Say Their Names” cemetery has stood since 2020, with the markers commemorating Laquan McDonald, a 17-year-old who was killed in Chicago in 2014, and Terence Crutcher, a 40-year-old motorist killed two years later in Tulsa, Okla., and many more.

Among those striding through the field was Roxanne Rawson, who moved to Iowa from the Twin Cities two years ago but returned for the anniversary.

“I couldn’t imagine being any place other than Minneapolis this weekend,” said Rawson, who said Floyd’s death deepened her awareness of racial injustice.

Rawson snapped a picture with her phone of the placard commemorating Amir Locke, a 22-year-old Black man killed in 2022 by Minneapolis police.

Locke’s father, Andre Locke, also visited 38th and Chicago on Sunday. Minneapolis police shot and killed his son in an apartment while executing a no-knock warrant.

Andre Locke was set to perform a song called “Thankful,” dedicated to his son, at Sunday’s concert with local choral and instrumental group the Sounds of Blackness.

“I wanted to perform to honor George Floyd and … lend my support to the community,” Locke said.

At Phelps Field Park, the legacy of the 2020 protests lived on in dozens of murals painted on plywood propped up on the grassy lawn. A portrait of George Floyd. Two flowers memorializing Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman killed by police in 2020 in Louisville, Ky. Another display reading “Liberty and Justice for All.”

Artist Eva Ngono and others painted “live murals” as music blared around them. The 22-year-old said the sight of the colorful pictures brought her back to 2020, when public art decorated her neighborhood.

Leslie Alvarez sat under a white tent, representing TONE UP, a nonprofit that connects formerly incarcerated people to re-entry services, such as therapist referrals and housing help. Alvarez said the five-year anniversary of Floyd’s death comes at a difficult time, as the Trump administration cuts funding to social service groups that promote equity.

“They’re targeting the organizations that uplift Black identities and brown identities,” she said. “And we’re saying, ‘Don’t do that.’ We are here. And we’ll be here.”

Floyd’s death ignited a worldwide movement to both make changes in policing and address systemic racial inequities in other parts of society. However, the commitment to that global movement’s long-term legacy has been challenged.

This year’s milestone anniversary is marked by a stark contrast in the political atmosphere and societal acceptance of policing reforms, equity and racial justice work that had been widely called for in the aftermath of Floyd’s death.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice filed to dismiss a consent decree agreement with Minneapolis that was supposed to entail sweeping reforms. There have also been reports that President Donald Trump, who was in the White House when Floyd was killed, might pardon former police officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted in his murder. Publicly, Trump has given no credence to the reports.

On Sunday morning outside what is now known as Unity Foods, Tom Johnson made his way through the flower-strewn memorial that marked where Floyd begged for air. Johnson, who lives in Golden Valley, said the current political “backlash,” especially the Trump administration’s campaign to dismantle diversity and equity initiatives, has cast a pall over the already somber day.

Still, the 74-year-old said he hasn’t lost hope that “a better society” will prevail. Visiting the square was a small way to push back against the presidential administration, Johnson said.

“I don’t know what to do. ... It’s something,” he said.

The mood was joyful and determined during the musical performances at George Floyd Square that lasted through the evening.

“In a moment when the administration … is trying to turn back all the work that we have done and put in for our community, we are standing flat-footed and firmly,” said singer Kennadi Hurst.