A sign welcoming people to the Minneapolis intersection where George Floyd was killed gives white visitors particular instructions on how to behave while in the area.
The poster board sign appears near the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, now memorialized as George Floyd Square after the 46-year-old black man was killed there by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. It includes general instructions to visitors entering the “sacred space for community, public grief, and protest” and adds a separate set of instructions “for white people in particular.”
“Decenter yourself and come to listen, learn, mourn and witness,” the sign reads in its first instruction addressed to white people, continuing, “Remember you are here to support, not be supported.”
“Seek to contribute to the energy of the space, rather than drain it,” it adds. “Bring your own processing to other white folks so that you will not harm BIPOC [black, indigenous people, and people of color].”
CHAUVIN SPENDING 23 HOURS PER DAY IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT
The sign also tells white people to “speak up with compassion to take the burden off of Black folks” if they notice other white people doing “problematic things.”
White people about to enter George Floyd square are given special instructions pic.twitter.com/3gzpwqUmtS
— Matt Finn (@MattFinnFNC) April 21, 2021
The sign does not include any indication of its source, though some of the sign’s language mirrors a city webpage devoted to “38th and Chicago,” which calls the intersection “a sacred space for racial healing.”
A city spokesperson said the city did not put up the sign, pointing the Washington Examiner to community organizers in George Floyd Square. The Washington Examiner reached out to a community Facebook group managed by people who live in and around George Floyd Square to ask about the signs but did not immediately receive a response.
Minneapolis put up barricades at the intersection on May 25, 2020, the day Floyd was killed. The square now hosts numerous gatherings and is filled with artwork and memorials to Floyd. Activists also declared the square an “autonomous zone” from which white people were barred, according to one person involved.
After Floyd’s death, the city began working on a long-term plan for the area. Officials are considering fully or partially reconnecting the intersection, and an interim design to retain a raised fist sculpture that activists erected near the intersection is something that the city is considering, according to the spokesperson.
“City leaders continue to meet with community stakeholders to discuss the best path forward for the future of the intersection, understanding this is a very important gathering space for healing and reflection,” the spokesperson said. “The City is also working with the Floyd family and community members on plans to peacefully commemorate the first anniversary of George Floyd’s murder at this intersection.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Chauvin was found guilty of Floyd’s murder on Tuesday and is now imprisoned at the state’s only maximum-security facility in Oak Park Heights. He faces up to 40 years in prison when he is sentenced in two months.
