Roper: Debate over George Floyd Square reflects its role in a neighborhood — and a movement

They had been here before — peering at maps of south Minneapolis amid chatter about detours and traffic flow. Someone said it was like Groundhog Day.

The circular nature of discussions about the future of George Floyd Square lingered over a city event Tuesday to gather feedback about blocking traffic on Chicago Avenue, a concept that had been ditched after a previous public engagement process.

A fundamental question seemed to be buried somewhere in all the Post-It notes and presentation boards (including a rogue board erected by pro-closure activists): Does George Floyd Square belong more to a city neighborhood or the global movement sparked by Floyd’s death?

Many neighbors and most business owners don’t want to close the street, arguing that it would impede already slow progress at reviving the area. They highlight how dangerous the square became when the streets were blocked for a year after Floyd’s death. (Notably, under state law, abutting property owners would also have some veto power over a closure.)

But the City Council voted down keeping the street open and backed a pedestrian plaza instead, overriding a mayoral veto in order to send staffers back to the drawing board. The council asked staff members to report back in December, which happens to follow an election that could result in a new mayor.

Who, then, was the council listening to?

The city’s roundup of community feedback said that a “strong vocal group” wanted the street closed, vs. a majority of participants who wanted it to remain open. Council Member Emily Koski, the deciding vote for the veto override, said an appeal from Floyd’s family had influenced her decision.

At issue is a sliver of roadway north of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, between the site where Floyd died and a former gas station that became a protest hub. It is a two-lane road where nearly 3,000 cars whiz by every day, separating two sides of what has become a tourism attraction.

“I think one of the strongest arguments in favor of a pedestrian mall is safety,” said Marcia Howard, a longtime activist at the the square, noting how many people of all ages visit.

By analyzing trips, the city found more than 500 of those cars a day would start using nearby neighborhood streets instead — with the remainder going to larger roads. People taking the bus would face a bigger hassle, however. The city’s analysis of the closure proposed an eight-block detour for downtown-bound trips on a heavily used rapid bus line.

Alongside all the official posterboards at Tuesday’s event was a homemade one reading, “What do the studies say?” which highlighted research about pedestrian plazas around the country. It was created by Phi Khalar, who has been involved in maintaining George Floyd Square.

“I think in furtherance of the 24 demands that this is a good step of reinvestment into the neighborhood,” Khalar said of the plaza proposal.

The City Council said last year the demands should be reviewed by a task force. At the Tuesday event, someone handed out “No Justice No Streets” postcards listing the 24 demands and pointing to this link for more details.

Neighbors like Lyn Robinson, meanwhile, are growing impatient for more vitality at the intersection. She had hoped to see more businesses like coffee and flower shops, and lamented the loss of a place to buy fresh food.

“I just feel like that at this point I’ve been waiting a long time for things to change and for economic development,” Robinson told Council Member Jason Chavez, who authored the council’s resolution supporting the pedestrian plaza and represents part of the intersection. “And I just don’t think that [the street closure] is going to help it at all.”

Chavez responded that he felt a pedestrian zone could help business by bringing more people to George Floyd Square.

The proposed plaza is at the boundary between two council wards, which has complicated the politics of the project. Andrea Jenkins, who represents the west side of Chicago Avenue, has been at odds with Chavez on the issue.

On Wednesday, a coalition of George Floyd Square businesses sent the city a plan it says would help commerce thrive at the intersection. Suggestions included better maintenance of the public spaces as well as investments like low-interest loans and property tax abatements.