In the following weeks, racial justice activists and some community members erected barricades to keep the East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue intersection closed to vehicular traffic for over a year after Floyd's murder.

Artists and demonstrators installed several exhibits, paintings, sculptures, and other works of art to memorialize Floyd and visualize racial justice themes.

[4][5] The East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue intersection was the location of the murder of George Floyd by Derek Chauvin, an officer with the Minneapolis Police Department.

The street intersection soon transitioned to an occupation protest referred to as George Floyd Square, as racial justice activists and some community members erected barricades to block vehicular traffic .

[10][11] Some local businesses objected to the street closure and some neighbors felt perceptions that the area was "autonomous" or police-free led to an increase in violent crime.

As part of the cultural district's long-term design plan, officials sought to preserve public art installments at the 38th and Chicago intersection that emerged in the aftermath of George Floyd's murder.

[22] By August 14, 2022, six people had been killed by gun violence at the square since Floyd's murder,[22][23][24][25][26][27][28] and one person had died there as the result of a drug overdose.

In late 2023, city officials announced a timeline to gather community input on a permanent memorial and redesign of the area with implementation and construction taking place in 2026 and beyond.

[32] The site has been likened to other monuments of historic trauma, such as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., and the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.

[41] In 2000, the city temporarily shut the store down for several months after recovering stolen electronics, ammunition, and materials for illicit drugs inside Cup Foods–leading to a constant police presence around the property.

[45][46] Cup Foods closed temporarily during the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis–Saint Paul and unrest in mid 2020, but re-opened in August 2020.

[citation needed] The organization has contracts with the city to improve health and safety and build community in the area, often taking over functions that police might otherwise handle.