The intersection where George Floyd took his last breath on Memorial Day 2020 had already been turned into an unofficial shrine that was maintained by volunteers. Now that intersection will be turned into an official memorial for the man who’s come to symbolize the national insurrection against police brutality and racial injustice.
The intersection of Chicago Avenue and 38th Street East will now bear Floyd’s name.
“The name is intended to honor George Perry Floyd Jr., who was killed on May 25, 2020,” Minneapolis Director of Public Works Robin Hutcheson said in a statement obtained by CNN.
“The commemorative name addition will not affect addressing on the street. The signage to indicate the commemorative street naming will be placed at the intersection of 38th Street East and Chicago Avenue only,” Hutcheson said.
Floyd, 46, was killed when former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds, Floyd was unresponsive for two minutes and 53 seconds of that time.
Floyd was being apprehended for allegedly handing over a counterfeit $20 bill at an adjacent store in an incident that somehow turned deadly and was captured on cellphone videos that went viral around the world.
Chauvin is currently being held in a maximum-security prison in suburban Minneapolis on charges of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The three other former officers — J. Alexander Kueng, Tou Thou and Thomas Lane — are each being charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.
