at the intersection of 38th and
Chicago in South Minneapolis,
a man named George Perry Floyd Junior was
killed by a Minneapolis police officer.
And by the next morning,
the world saw it in a cell phone
video and the world reacted in y
that has since changed said wor.
Looking back in time that
involves reflection,
pain and questioning about what
has changed and what hasn't.
And there are a few places in
the world where the reflection
is more raw than at that very
intersection where Floyd was ki,
now known to everyone as George Floyd Square.
And that's where hundreds of people are
expected to head tonight for a vigil and Mr.
Floyd's memory.
And that is where Kent Erdogll is right now.
Hi, Ken.
Hi, Jana. Yeah, you know,
the next few days here at
the Square are going to be full
of some pretty big contrast.
I want to give you an idea of
how we're starting to see it
change already here tonight.
As you zoom and you can see, Chicago Ave.
has now been closed on that
side of the intersection.
That's in preparation for that vigil.
And coming up on Saturday,
there will be a huge festival plan to
celebrate the life of George Fld
and the resilience of the commu.
But today, like most days,
this space has been a place of learning
and reflection that's attracted
visitors from all over the worl.
And that was on display this
morning when I ran into a group
of students here from Californi.
We are from the Bay Area and
here in a school trip just
to learn about Minneapolis.
All this offering from
people you know.
Left us on the kindness of their heart.
It's one thing to watch a video online,
it's another thing to like visin
person and see kind of the impact is had
both on the community and nationwide.
It just goes to show you,
when you think that there's no e
chanted for you or fight for yor
speaking for you, that there is
to be here in person with the
people who experienced it.
It's been really incredible
to hear their experiences,
to understand what they're feel.
And it makes it a lot easier to remember,
a lot easier to empathize.
This is where Drew up a lot die.
You got murdered.
We were talking
to one of the witnesses and one of the
people who are testifying at the trial.
I was the first witness to them from the time
they got him out of his car till
he took his last breath. Now wee
telling Mr. Blood, Miss Blood,
Just ply with him.
Get on in the car because you can't win.
I live in the neighborhood.
I try not to focus on this,
this up here because of what happened.
I try to let go.
But I have to come.
I come through here every day because
it's therapeutic for me to reale
what I wouldn't do here. It's
incredible to see him here in person, still
doing what he's doing through his story.
Why do you talk to those
groups that come through here?
Because I want them to
know what happened here.
I want them to understand it was
real here or get my understandig
that what happened here shouldnt
have never happened here.
We shouldn't have to be standing here today.
It has to stop.
It has to stop somewhere,
but it has to start somewhere
with us fighting together. This
memorial is living right.
People keep coming and I think
that's really important.
Looking around and seeing everyone here
and seeing all the kind of supp,
it's, it's been really impactfu.
Here's the thing tonight, that
support and that impact that you
heard those students talking ab,
it goes both ways, especially if
you talk to the businesses here.
In the area that depend on the
traffic that's returned here,
and that's what I did earlier t.
I spoke to the owner of Onyx Coffee House,
which opened one year ago today.
They told me this morning that s
the tours and out of town visitors that
have really kept the doors opens
year while locals have been slower to
return and a couple doors down smoking.
The pit BBQ echoed that and both
businesses told me that after a prolonged
and sometimes confusing back and
forth with the city over traffid
safety that we've all seen play.
They want to make it clear to
everyone in our community to knw
that they are welcome here.
There was a period of it being closed to
being open to people unsure if they're
able to drive through here and that was
come to a period to where more traffic,
more people feeling open
to coming around
the community around here we have pulled
together and we're looking out for one
another more where we getting to know
each other more before the Joy Floyd,
the situation happened.
A lot of these small businesses up here,
we we didn't come out and talk to each other.
I just hope though for this year
coming up though that people jut
you know regularly come out here
though and just just make it moe
than just a a weekend type of t.
Just love, happiness and peacefulness here.
This is a beautiful community come back,
just don't come one time 365
days of the year.
Come back show as it just it
shows it's more than just one dy
of that. Frankly, is the thinkig
behind the events over multiple
days that are planned this week.
Tonight, of course, as you mentioned, Jana,
there's a candlelight vigil that'll be
behind me here at the intersection from
8:00 PM to 10:00 PM And then on Saturday,
that George Floyd Rise festival,
it's going to be a celebration
of life and community here.
There will be Rise,
there will be vendors, there's music,
there are all kinds of different
things going on and that'll be
something that they really wanto
have everyone come back out for.
Jana.
I think that gentleman said it so well.
There's just a feeling of confusion by a
lot of people that have never been down
there and they think it's closed or they
they have misperceptions about what it's
like and you're there, you can feel it.
There's it's a neighborhood,
people are there all the time ad
we we just want people to know
that it that it's okay to go,
it is okay Jana.
And it is one of those things that frankly.
You know, as we've looked back
in the last couple of years,
there have been so much tug of
war and back and forth that it s
frankly kind of hard to follow.
And maybe we could have done a better
job being down here to show whas
really progressed as that traffc
has returned in the last year.
And that is the feeling that we
got down here because I've been
down here over the past few yea,
I know you have as well.
And it is a noticeable shift ana
feeling that's in this community
that's welcoming this year that,
that is so extraordinary.