Minneapolis City Council Overturns Mayor’s Veto On George Floyd Square

George Floyd was murdered by a white police officer in Minneapolis in May 2020.

After the family of George Floyd called on Minneapolis City Council member Emily Koski, she changed her vote from a no in December to a yes during the most recent vote on Feb. 27, helping the council override Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s previous veto regarding George Floyd Square.

According to The Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Koski, who will be opposing Frey in the mayoral race come November, indicated that the mayor has failed to work together with the council to find common ground on George Floyd Square.

“For nearly five years, his family has come to George Floyd Square to grieve and heal. To them, this is sacred ground, a place of resilience, justice and humanity. When decisions are made without centering the needs of those most affected, they disregard the heart of justice,” Koski said.

Frey, meanwhile, characterized the council’s 9-4 vote which overturned his veto as a betrayal of the community’s wishes and a waste of taxpayer money.

“The council’s decision is a betrayal of the community’s wishes and a colossal waste of time and tax dollars,” he said in a statement to the outlet following the override. “Why the council is content to let this site sit idle, without any meaningful development, and no legitimate plan, is beyond me. Our city staff have worked tirelessly alongside the community to bring forward a thoughtful, community-centered vision. Yet, this plan is being ignored by a small minority, which is simply not good governance.”

Council member Andrea Jenkins signaled her agreement with Frey in a statement on Feb. 27, alluding to community engagement data, other members, like Robin Wonsley, think the return of traffic sends a bad message to the community at large and is concerned about erasure.

“It’s not about street infrastructure, those investments can still happen,” Wonsley told MPR News. “We reduced George Floyd’s murder to street infrastructure and we’re packaging it [as] ‘this is how you get nice things,’ to a historically under-invested Black community.”

Wonsley continued, “You still can have that, you still deserve that, and that should be contingent upon your ability to concede to the fact that the City of Minneapolis and its White Supremacist dynamics wants to erase the history of what happened because we have a problem with holding ourselves accountable.”

The divide in City Hall is also reflected in the larger Minneapolis community, while some want the city to invest in housing and other community needs before changing things on George Floyd Square, others say objections to the pedestrianization of the square are being ignored.

As Minneapolis City COO Margaret Anderson Kelliher told KSTP in a statement, she remains hopeful that an effective compromise for all parties can be reached.

“I’m grateful to all the community members who continue to engage with us about the future of this important site. Years of community input have guided the planning process, leading to a proposal that balances reverence for George Floyd Square with community needs for transit, emergency services, and flexible space for gatherings. I’m hopeful that we can move forward together to deliver much-needed infrastructure improvements to this community,” Anderson Kelliher said.