Landscape Information
Centered at the intersection of Chicago Avenue and E. 38th Street approximately three miles south of downtown in the Powderhorn community, this site marks the location where George Floyd was murdered in May 2020. Following Floyd’s death, the barricaded intersection became the epicenter of national protests against police brutality, attracting throngs of demonstrators and mourners. The site features temporary memorials and artworks that honor Floyd and other African American victims of police brutality. Several works take advantage of streets, sidewalks, building facades and open spaces.
Today, the center of the intersection is marked by a metal sculpture depicting a raised fist by Jordan Powell-Karis. Serving as a traffic circle, it is surrounded by a shallow bed planted with herbaceous flowering plants, edged with concrete blocks and temporary traffic control devices.
A colorful mural depicting Floyd, among the first artworks installed, adorns the south wall of the storefront that witnessed his death. The work by Xena Goldman, Cadex Herrea, and Greta McLain, is complemented by a twelve-foot tall black and white portrait of Floyd by Peyton Scott Russell attached to a disused bus stop on the building’s western side. Chicago Avenue is partially blocked along this façade, framed a temporary greenhouse and concrete barricade. Opposite is a former gas station (now the People’s Way) that serves as a gathering space, hosting vigils and events.
Northeast of the intersection at the corner of E 37th Street and Park Avenue, is a sunken lawn adorned by an installation by Anna Barber and Connor Wright. The work suggests a cemetery and includes more than 100 headstones, which each include the name of a victim of police brutality.
In 2022, Chicago Avenue between E. 37th and E. 39th street was named George Perry Floyd Square by the city.
