Five years after the tragic death of her nephew, what Angela Harrelson misses most is the simple sound of her phone buzzing—knowing it was him calling.
“He would call me and say, What’s up, auntie? Just checking in on you,” Harrelson recalled. “It always made me feel so good.”
Though she calls him by his middle name, Perry, the world knows him as George Floyd. In 2020, millions watched in horror as former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck for nine minutes and twenty-nine seconds. That agonizing moment ignited waves of grief and fury worldwide. Protesters flooded streets, holding handmade signs echoing Floyd’s final words: I can’t breathe. Despite violent clashes with law enforcement, their determination never faltered. Across cities, artists painted murals and created tributes that transformed Floyd’s image into a powerful symbol of resistance and hope.
The very intersection where Floyd breathed his last—once a mundane gas station corner—has become a living memorial known as George Floyd Square. Today, after the media frenzy and protests have quieted, Harrelson visits this sacred space several times a week.
“It’s a refuge where I can sit, reflect, and feel all the pain and heartbreak that’s come since,” she shared.
But the future of George Floyd Square remains uncertain. Nationwide, memorials honoring Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement have been vandalized, removed, or left to decay. As these symbols of hope and protest fade, so too do the promises of police reform, diversity initiatives, and a broader optimism about racial justice in America.
Just days before the fifth anniversary of Floyd’s death on May 25, the Department of Justice announced it was ending investigations into police departments in Minneapolis and several other cities, retracting earlier findings of wrongdoing.
For Floyd’s family and advocates, this shift in momentum is a painful blow, but they are resolute in preserving his legacy. Many see the fight to save the remnants of the protest movement as essential to healing and advancing change. It is, as some describe it, a call to arms—a moment to regroup and recommit.
“The country is actually regressing,” said Aba Blankson, spokesperson for the NAACP. “This anniversary isn’t about mourning. It’s about renewed purpose—dedication to diversity, equity, inclusion, and equal protection under the law. We must insist on teaching truth in history and defending the rights of women and immigrants.”
The Battle for George Floyd Square
Since Floyd’s murder, the corner of 38th and Chicago has become hallowed ground. The site boasts two iconic murals, including a striking blue-and-yellow tribute painted on the side of Cup Foods—the store linked to the counterfeit $20 bill incident that sparked Floyd’s fatal encounter with police. At the center stands a raised-fist sculpture, surrounded by headstones engraved with names of Black victims of police violence.
Community members erected barricades to block traffic and police, demanding justice and creating a space for healing, as documented in The People’s Way, a film co-directed by Ashley Tyner.
In 2021, city officials removed the barricades and began crafting a long-term vision for the site. After extensive consultations—partly because a major bus route crosses the square—they proposed a flexible plan to allow traffic flow while preserving a spot for a permanent memorial. The city purchased the former Speedway gas station, renaming it the Peoples’ Way, intended as part of the memorial complex.
Yet, the Minneapolis City Council rejected this plan, proposing instead a pedestrian mall that would permanently close part of the intersection. The then-mayor vetoed this proposal, but the council overrode his veto.
Council member Robin Wonsley argued that allowing buses and cars to traverse the square would erase its history and meaning. “It’s a signal of erasure,” she said.
In contrast, Andrea Jenkins, representing the neighborhood, supports the city’s original plan, citing a survey indicating that about 70% of local residents want full traffic access restored.
For now, the square’s fate hangs in the balance. No final decisions are expected for months, and any construction likely won’t finish before 2027. Harrelson hopes the space will honor the art and artifacts left behind while welcoming new work to continue Floyd’s story.
Guardians of the Protest Legacy
Visitors worldwide still come to George Floyd Square, leaving flowers, signs, balloons, and artwork. Leesa Kelly, executive director of Memorialize the Movement, has taken on the role of caretaker, gathering murals painted on plywood boards that businesses used to protect their windows during the 2020 protests.
Kelly feared these artworks might be discarded as the protests waned, so she began collecting and preserving them. Today, her collection exceeds 1,000 pieces—each capturing different aspects of Floyd’s life, from portraits of his daughter to messages from his partner.
“It’s been incredible to see something so tragic transformed into something powerful and meaningful for our community,” she said.
These murals have traveled beyond Minneapolis, displayed in universities and galleries throughout the Twin Cities and across the country. In 2024, hundreds of protest signs and artwork made their way to Arizona State University, thanks to historian Rashad Shabazz. The exhibit drew thousands, including Floyd’s family members, and has been hailed as one of the movement’s most important legacies.
“The offerings tell stories,” Shabazz said. “Preserving them preserves our collective memory. If we listen, these stories teach us invaluable lessons.”
The Waning Momentum of Racial Reckoning
Efforts to remove Confederate monuments, which surged after Floyd’s death, have slowed dramatically. In early 2024, only two such symbols were taken down—compared to nearly 170 in 2020. More than 2,000 Confederate symbols remain, with some recently restored.
At the federal level, former President Donald Trump dismantled diversity programs and urged schools and businesses to follow, despite earlier commitments made after Floyd’s murder.
In Minnesota, leaders prepare for the possibility Trump might pardon Derek Chauvin, the former officer convicted of Floyd’s murder—though Trump has publicly denied considering such a move.
Shifting the Narrative
In January, the Department of Justice agreed to a consent decree with Minneapolis to overhaul its police department, following a federal probe that found a pattern of civil rights violations after Floyd’s death.
But on May 21, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon announced the government would halt those efforts and retract findings not only in Minneapolis but also in cities like Louisville, Kentucky—where the killing of Breonna Taylor ignited outrage.
This political shift has left many Americans feeling bleak about progress on racial justice since 2020. According to Pew Research Center, while most believe Floyd’s murder was a turning point, fewer now see it resulting in meaningful change.
In 2023, 40% believed it had changed Black lives; by 2025, that number dropped to 27%.
Despite this, Harrelson says Floyd’s legacy endures, unshaken by political winds. “People still carry that pain. They still carry that weight,” she said.
Each visit to the square reminds her of his impact. Soon, family and thousands of supporters will gather there for a three-day festival celebrating Floyd’s life, featuring music, church services, and community talks on racism, police reform, and grief called Perry Talks.
For Harrelson, though, the most meaningful moments remain quiet ones—sitting peacefully in the place that forever holds his memory.
