Frey vetoes council plan to study pedestrian mall at George Floyd Square in Minneapolis

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on Wednesday vetoed a City Council plan to create a pedestrian mall at the south Minneapolis intersection where George Floyd died under former police officer Derek Chauvin’s knee nearly five years ago.

The mayor and council have different ideas about what to do at the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue at George Floyd Square, which is marked by a now-iconic raised fist sculpture and is a gathering space for protesters.

In late October, the Frey administration proposed an overhaul of the area — now the site of memorials, artwork, a community garden and a protest space — that would allow traffic to fully return, with a “flexible street design” that would close streets for public gatherings.

But a majority of council members rejected that idea in favor of keeping traffic to a minimum and creating a pedestrian plaza. The council recently voted 9-4 to direct the city to evaluate a pedestrian mall layout adjacent to the former Speedway gas station where protesters still meet.

In his veto letter, Frey wrote that he’s never had an issue with the idea of a pedestrian mall, but he said it’s not supported by the community plus it would delay development progress for at least a year and may not be feasible in the end due to a state law that requires support from at least half of nearby property owners. Frey contends none of the property owners who responded to a recent survey supported the council plan. Out of 20 private property owners surveyed, 15 responded and all opposed a pedestrian mall.

“It has been nearly five years since George Floyd was murdered, and it is time to move forward together now,” he wrote.

After two years of community workshops and a nine-month engagement process, city officials eschewed the pedestrian mall option in favor of another plan that would restore Metro Transit’s D-Line bus rapid transit service and Route 5 transit service along Chicago Avenue. In December, the council voted to nix that idea and restrict vehicles to local use.

City officials said that would delay their plan to begin construction after the five-year anniversary of Floyd’s killing passes in May.

Council Member Jason Chavez, who lives near the intersection, said Frey talks about moving forward “without having ever truly reckoned with the trauma our community experienced and the sanctity of this place.”

“The City Council will continue to honor the life of George Floyd, those who we’ve lost to police brutality, and our community who has been left hanging in the balance after five years of Frey’s indifference to the community’s calls for justice and change,” Chavez said.

Council Member Katie Cashman said in an emailed statement that Frey “rejected progress and collaboration once again as he continues to set us backward on establishing a safe memorial site to gather at George Floyd Square for generations to come.”

“As we evaluate where to go from here, we are pursuing pilots and smaller infrastructure projects to implement this summer,” Cashman said.

Frey accused the council of trying to manipulate the process by ordering the city’s Department of Public Works to design a new pedestrian mall that excludes property owners that object, leaving one possibly supportive voice: the city’s.

“This technical maneuver would gerrymander these community members out and gerrymander council member voices in,” Frey wrote. “Even if you could draw a pedestrian mall in such a manner, this is, for lack of a better word, shady.”

The Frey administration’s plan would build new streets, bikeways, pedestrian lighting, green spaces, a raised traffic circle in the intersection, wider sidewalks, upgraded pedestrian ramps and expanded community spaces. It would not allow traffic over the spot where Floyd died; leave the raised fist sculpture in place; and redevelop the former Speedway gas station into a community space run by a nonprofit.

But protesters who still meet there have 24 demands for justice, which include requiring police officers to maintain private liability insurance and firing some leaders of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.