The city of Minneapolis is set to pay tribute to George Floyd in a significant way. According to TMZ, the city recently received a grant that they will use to set up a permanent tribute to Floyd. The news comes nearly two months after Floyd was murdered at the hands of officer Derek Chauvin, who is currently in jail on charges related to the incident.
Minneapolis was awarded the “Vision Grant” by the National Trust for Historic Preservation through its African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund. This grant, which came out to be $50,000, will help the city preserve the various memorials that have sprung up around the town for Floyd. In addition to protecting the tributes that citizens have made for him, the city is also discussing plans to honor Floyd on a more permanent level. As of right now, according to a Minneapolis city official, the city has held more than 40 listening sessions, during which they invited community members and local government workers to come to express how they can best memorialize Floyd.
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It’s currently unclear how they will honor Floyd. Although, they have discussed possible street names, memorial plaques or statues, and a community center. One thing they do know for sure is where the memorial will go. The city has designated 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, the location where Floyd was murdered, as the location for the tribute. Brenda Jones of the National Trust told TMZ that the planning for this special memorial could lead to “other opportunities to invest in the preservation and protection of African American history in Minneapolis, including the murals commemorating the sacrifice of George Floyd.”
As previously mentioned, this news comes almost two months after Floyd lost his life. On May 25, officers responded to a “forgery in progress” call involving Floyd. During the incident, Floyd was restrained by the officers, with Chauvin kneeling on his neck for almost nine minutes. This action ultimately led to his death. Chauvin and the three other officers involved in this matter — Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng, and Thomas Lane — have all since been fired by the Minneapolis Police Department. Days after this matter, Chauvin was arrested and later had the charges against him elevated to second-degree murder and manslaughter. Thao, Kueng, and Lane were also all arrested (and since have been released on bond) for aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter.
