The Tension Inside George Floyd Square Is Unbearable Right Now

Slate

Around 3 p.m. on Saturday in Minneapolis, a small group gathered near George Floyd Square for a barbecue to celebrate a man’s birthday. Many were regulars at the square, at Chicago Avenue and E. 38th Street, the intersection where Floyd was killed. The area, once sealed off in all directions with refrigerators, pallets, and other debris, now has city barricades. Its entrances are guarded by volunteers who staff the square at all hours—mostly as greeters but also as a ragtag defense force to prevent police from entering.

The mood was light. There was a cake that read “frick 12,” a reference to the police. It was chilly; people gathered around a firepit.



Then the gunshots began. First one. Then two more. Then a burst of five. “Someone’s dumping!” someone yelled. People rushed out to help: “Is that coming from the north?” “Do we have medics?” “Probably.”

One woman was in tears; she witnessed the shooting. “I saw blood. It looked like red jelly was spilled,” she said. “I think I saw guts.” One of her friends gave her a hug. An older man, shuffling as he tried to walk as quickly as he could, mumbled under his breath, “two people just got shot over there.” I learned later that one man died.

Sounds like a mostly peaceful bbq.