Businesses near George Floyd Square sue Minneapolis for $30M in damages
MINNEAPOLIS — Business owners at the struggling corner where a Minneapolis police officer murdered George Floyd in 2020 are suing the city to demand it take over their properties and compensate them.
In a suit filed last week in Hennepin County, the owners of the Cup Foods convenience store and other businesses operating near 38th Street and Chicago Avenue argue that the city's failure to address deterioration and crime in the neighborhood has ruined their businesses and constitutes an unlawful taking of their property without just compensation. They're seeking $30 million in damages.
The area, now known as George Floyd Square, has become a place of pilgrimage for social justice supporters from across the country, and the store has renamed itself Unity Foods. But business owners say they haven't benefitted, while activists and officials remain divided over how to transform the intersection while keeping it as a permanent memorial.
Floyd died after Derek Chauvin, a White officer, pinned his neck to the pavement outside Cup Foods for 9 1/2 minutes despite the Black man's pleas of "I can't breathe." The ensuing protests, which turned violent at times, tested the leadership of Gov. Tim Walz at one of the state's most consequential moments, and sparked a nationwide reckoning over racism and police misconduct. Chauvin was convicted of murder.
The legal action argues that the businesses have lost revenue, real estate value, reputation and tenant and rental income. It argues that the city's decisions led to higher crime and created a "no go zone" for police in the area. It replaces an earlier lawsuit by the businesses that was dismissed two months ago.
Michael Healey, the lawyer representing the businesses, tells WCCO there will be another suit filed in Hennepin County in the next several days. He's representing seven other businesses along 38th and Chicago. The price tag on that will be slightly larger than $30 million.
"We are asking the court to order Mayor Frey and the city compensate my clients, initiate the taking proceedings of properties and to restore police protection for the intersection," Healey said.
A city spokesperson said in a statement that while it can't comment on pending litigation, the city "understands the challenges that residents and businesses have confronted in the wake of George Floyd's murder."
Since Floyd's killing and the building up of George Floyd Square, the city has been reckoning with the future of the intersection. It has held a series of community workshops to hear the public's feedback, as well as met with business owners in the area.
The city's current vision is to redesign and rebuild the intersection to maintain it as a gathering space in Floyd's honor while increasing community safety and allowing "clear and reliable access for residents, businesses, and visitors," according to a draft plan released last month.
The project's timeline currently stretches into 2027.
