From the new chapter, "Saying Their Names" In an instant, Minneapolis was the center of the world. Just as the "Shame of Minneapolis" magazine article brought national attention to the city in the early twentieth century, George Floyd brought an even wider reckoning in the twenty-first. Protests erupted across the country and the world, from Paris and London to Sydney and Hong Kong. In Minneapolis, mourners gathered and occupied the intersection--38th and Chicago--where Floyd was killed. For many months afterward, community members and supporters maintained what became George Floyd Square as a healing space, creating memorials and holding gatherings while keeping the intersection closed to car traffic. More protests rose up across the Twin Cities after Floyd's murder. During one march that shut down the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River, a semi-truck driver barreled through a crowd of protestors before stopping. Somehow, no one was injured. Excerpted from Minneapolis: An Urban Biography by Tom Weber All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
