Star Tribune
Three years on, Minneapolis remembers George Floyd
Roses in hand, a group of high school students from California walked solemnly through George Floyd Square on Thursday morning. They took care as they stepped over mementos, led by guides and their instructors, who brought them to see what happened in Minneapolis three years ago.
Teacher Amy Hunt brought the 11th-graders from the Bay Area Nueva School to Minneapolis to give them a first-hand look at the scene of Floyd’s killing — and the resulting community resolve to seek racial justice — as part of their American Studies education. They had a lot to see on Thursday, the third anniversary of Floyd’s death.
In the years since Floyd was murdered by four Minneapolis police officers on May 25, 2020, the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue remains a center for learning — even without the formal structure some community members want.
Floyd was killed right before members of the visiting class started high school, and his death shifted history and their curriculum, student Alyse Graham-Martínez said.
“We’ve all seen this street on the news. But to actually be here, especially when there’s so many news people and people here who are remembering him, it’s a lot,” Graham-Martínez said.
People from as far as California and New York visited Thursday to look at the posters and other offerings. Gardeners worked on raised beds and others stepped into the Black-owned Onyx Coffeehouse for a latte, where poetry and leaflets about the racial justice movement decorate many tables.
The fact that local residents call a visit to the square a “pilgrimage” and not a tourist destination was really important, said Hunt, a St. Louis Park native.
“This is about understanding this story that’s happening here,” Hunt said of her students.
A steady flow of visitors stopped into an exhibit called the Movement Never Stops by independent photographer KingDemetrius Pendleton in the afternoon. People were led through three years of modern history by volunteer AJ Bantley, who has only missed a single weekend of working there in the last year.
It can be challenging to recount her own experiences at protests, she said. Bantley cried as she spoke to visitors about protest images covering the walls.
“If it ever gets to the point where it becomes automatic, then I’m not here for the right reasons,” she said. “If it’s ever robotic, then I’m not doing any good.”
She said it’s an honor to be entrusted with Pendleton’s display, which she balances with two jobs. It worries her when out-of-towners — and those living much closer to the intersection — come to the square without anyone to guide them.
By early evening, about 200 people had gathered at the square for several planned events. Many were from outside of the Twin Cities, some from out of state.
Taylor Jones, a 24-year-old from Medina, said he has visited the memorial several times. As a Black person, Jones said he’s experienced disparities and unequal treatment his whole life.
He said it’s been difficult to still see high-profile killings of Black people three years after Floyd’s murder.
“It’s tough, because it feels like we still have a lot of these incidents, despite it being three years later,” Jones said.
Joe Brown, a 30-year-old from Chicago, said he wanted to come to see the numerous art displays, murals and tributes placed at the square.
“It’s a part of history, and I think everybody needs to learn about it, and that police take it too far,” Brown said. “Sometimes when people say they can’t breathe, it isn’t because they’re trying to get away or escape. They really can’t breathe and the police are overdoing it.”
A block away from the square, a procession began with around 30 people marching through Say Their Names cemetery, where hundreds of plastic tombstones are placed with the names of Black people killed by police. The procession was led by the Ananya Dance Theatre, a St. Paul dance ensemble consisting of women of color.
Others at the square began picking petals off of roses to distribute in the street, and handed out candles for the vigil.
Star Tribune
St. Paul planning commission to discuss a potential citywide ban of new fast food drive-thrus
Twin Cities franchisees and business advocacy groups have already voiced their concerns about the potential drive-thru restrictions to the planning commission.
Over 80% of Taco Bell transactions in St. Paul are done via drive-thru windows, according to Zach Zelickson, vice president of Marvin Development, which develops Taco Bell restaurants for Border Foods. A ban on new drive-thrus could limit what can be done with existing restaurants and make customers travel to locations outside the city, he said. In 2022, Border Foods opened a futuristic Taco Bell Defy location with four drive-thru lanes in Brooklyn Park.
“We believe that drive-thrus play a vital role in serving the needs of our communities across Minnesota,” Angie Whitcomb, CEO of Hospitality Minnesota, which represents the state’s hospitality businesses, said in a statement. Drive-thrus provide convenience for busy customers and contribute to the safety of fast food workers, particularly duing late-night hours, she said.
Drive-thrus have been synonymous with America’s fast-food culture since the concept became mainstream in the 1970s. During the pandemic, drive-thrus became even more important, allowing consumers to grab food while COVID-19 restrictions shut down many restaurant dining rooms.
Besides traditional fast food operations, other fast casual restaurants such as Chipotle have begun to add drive-thru lanes.
According to a study released last month by the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, drive-thrus are critical for many businesses. Average monthly visits to studied stores with drive-thrus were down a little more than 4% in December 2022 (post-pandemic) compared to December 2019 (pre-pandemic). However, traffic at stores without drive-thrus declined about 48%.
“[The most pressing issues] are everything from gentrification to community policing to climate change,” he told the Star Tribune. “MCAD’s role is: How do we begin addressing the most critical issues of our time? Frankly that’s got to be part of the work we do in educating the next generation of cultural leaders.”
MCAD’s Board Search Committee will begin a national search for the next president, working with executive search firm Isaacson, Miller, along with the MCAD community.
“We thank President Sethi for his dedication for the past five years, as he led the college through the challenges of COVID, acquired a new building for much-needed student housing, reimagined the campus of the future, and advocated for greater access to an art-and-design education,” said Board Co-Chairs Chris Barry and M.E. Kirwan in a joint statement.
Sethi is the 19th president in MCAD’s 139-year history, previously serving for four years as inaugural director of George Washington University’s Corcoran School of the Arts & Design, and previously holding leadership positions at Santa Fe Art Institute, Memphis College of Art and California College of the Arts.
The medical center is owned by a local nonprofit, but operated by Duluth-based Essentia under an affiliation agreement that dates back to 2009.
With the ruling announced Wednesday, Essentia Health says it will continue to operate the hospital, clinic, assisted-living and long-term care facilities in Fosston, plus clinics in Bagley and Oklee.
“Now that the arbitration process is over, Essentia is focused on the opportunity to engage our patients, colleagues and the community in building a shared vision for the future of health care in Fosston,” said Dr. Stefanie Gefroh, interim president of Essentia Health’s West Market, in a statement.
Arbitrators were asked to rule on whether Essentia eliminated a “core” service by discontinuing deliveries, since the city of Fosston would then have the right to terminate the affiliation agreement. But the panel in a 2-1 vote concluded that labor and delivery is just one aspect of obstetrics (OB).
“OB is a ‘core’ service under the agreement, encompassing labor and delivery as part of comprehensive care for pregnant women,” the ruling states. “Simply put, while the delivery of the baby is an essential component, it is not the sole care provided to a pregnant woman.”
Fosston officials, including the town’s mayor, were involved in the arbitration because the city has a legal connection to the nonprofit owner of the medical center, which historically was a municipal hospital.
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