A man in Minneapolis was seen on video over the weekend trashing a roadblock that memorialized George Floyd and chopping structures with a hatchet.
The individual, who has not been identified, pulled up to the display in his pickup truck before throwing signs to the ground, according to footage obtained by the Star Tribune. He later returned to his vehicle, grabbed a hatchet, and bashed into what appeared to be a small shed at around 2 a.m. on Sunday morning.
“This was particularly upsetting that this would happen after the historic trial and the upcoming memorial,” said LaToya Evans, a spokeswoman for a nonprofit group that is organizing a memorial for Floyd.
DEATH AND ‘AUTONOMOUS ZONE’ GRIP GEORGE FLOYD SQUARE AHEAD OF CHAUVIN TRIAL
Another activist said, “The memorial wasn’t destroyed. We were watching. If you notice, our video was tracking him. … Listen, we’re still here. We’re still holding it down. No justice, no street.”
A spokesperson for the Minneapolis Police Department told the Star Tribune that the incident has not been reported to police, and therefore it has not yet been investigated by authorities.
All of the debris was blocking a roadway, which serves as an entrance to what has been dubbed “George Floyd Square,” a small “autonomous” and “cop-free” zone that encompasses the Cup Foods store near where Floyd was killed on May 25, 2020. Business owners in the area, which has been beset by violence and gang activity, banded together earlier in the year to demand city bailouts after officials allowed the zone to persist since June.
Minneapolis leaders eventually agreed in early April and set aside multiple interest-free $50,000 loans for those afflicted, totaling $1 million.
“Secondly, we’re continuing to make substantial progress over at 38th and Chicago,” Mayor Jacob Frey said during the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former officer later found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in connection to Floyd’s death. “Right now, the city is set to move forward with a series of $50,000 interest-free, forgivable loans to businesses that have been substantially impacted over these last seven, eight, and nine months.”
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Frey, in the past, has indicated support for a “phased reopening” of the area as he said that residents aren’t yet eager to end the zone.
The Minneapolis Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Washington Examiner.
