The murder of George Floyd

The killing of George Floyd, 46, of St. Louis Park — who repeatedly told a Minneapolis police officer he couldn’t breathe as the officer knelt on his neck on May 25, 2020 — sparked days of unrest in Minneapolis and St. Paul and mass protests across the globe over the treatment of Black people by police. 

Since then, lawmakers both nationally and locally have debated police reform and whether law enforcement officers must change how they do their jobs. In schools, educators and students have tackled discussions on race and equity, sometimes with controversy. And across Minnesota, community members have marched and come together in a call for change

In April 2021, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin — who pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes — was convicted of murder and manslaughter in Floyd's death. He was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison.

The three other ex-cops who were involved with the arrest have been charged with two counts each of aiding and abetting in the death. Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao go on trial in June 2022.

A federal grand jury has also indicted all four on criminal civil rights charges.

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South Mpls. poet stirs the imagination with poem about police reform
Junauda Petrus is an activist, experimental performance artist and filmmaker. Petrus wrote the poem "Give The Police Department to the Grandmothers" after Michael Brown was fatally shot by a Ferguson, Mo., police officer in 2014. 
Minneapolis volunteers collect remembrances for George Floyd permanent memorial
Thousands have left remembrances at the Minneapolis street where George Floyd was killed. Now residents and volunteer art conservators are working to preserve them for a potential permanent memorial.
Metro State student envisions a future of mutual aid
Metro State student Huda Yusuf works with other community members to help people experiencing homelessness and those in need who come to George Floyd’s Square. 
'Right thing to do': Volunteers turned bus into 'MASH unit' at George Floyd Square. They're not done yet.
Over the summer, Kia Bible and other volunteers turned a bus into a medical unit to heal trauma at 38th Street and Chicago Avenue. It's since grown into a nonprofit staffed by volunteers who provide routine care for people in the neighborhood.
Bringing the ‘Icon of a Revolution’ to George Floyd Square
Peyton Scott Russell doesn’t consider himself a protest artist, but his 12-foot tall portrait of George Floyd he painted for his childhood neighborhood has become a fixture of protests around the world.
A tender act of resistance: Caring for George Floyd’s Square
In the four-block radius of where George Floyd was killed, residents and volunteers work together to keep things running at the makeshift memorial as they hold the space while pressing the city to meet their demands. Here’s how one of the caretakers describes his mission to present what he calls an “aesthetic dignity” to the space.
Rescuing the plywood — and memorializing a movement
Among those who protested the police killing of George Floyd last spring were artists who expressed their grief and anger through painting. They created hundreds of murals on the plywood that Twin Cities businesses used to protect their windows during the civil unrest. With winter on the way, two young Black women are leading a major effort to preserve the artwork.
Alleged Boogaloo member pleads guilty to terrorism charge
Prosecutors say Benjamin Ryan Teeter of Hampstead, N.C., traveled to Minneapolis during protests following the death of George Floyd. He pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.
From ‘schoolmarm’ to sentry: Mpls. teacher responds to George Floyd killing
A teacher who’s spent 22 years holding teenagers in line at Roosevelt High School in south Minneapolis threw out all the rules when this summer’s social justice uprising arrived in her backyard.