MINNEAPOLIS– Several entrepreneurs in the struggling corner where George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer filed a lawsuit against the city in 2020 to demand that it take over their property and compensate them.
The owners of Cup Foods grocery store and other businesses operating near 38th Street and Chicago Avenue claim the city’s failure to address the neighborhood’s decline and crime has ruined their businesses and amounts to unlawful seizure of their property without just compensation. This was reported by the Minnesota Star Tribune Thursday. They are seeking $30 million in damages.
The area, now known as George Floyd Square, has grown into one place of pilgrimage for social justice supporters from across the country, and the store has rebranded itself as Unity Foods. But business owners say they have not benefited, while activists and officials remain divided over how to transform the intersection while preserving it as a permanent memorial.
Floyd died after a white officer pressed his neck against the sidewalk outside Cup Foods for 9 1/2 minutes, despite the black man’s pleas: “I can’t breathe.” The subsequent protests, which sometimes turned violent, tested leadership from Governor Tim Walz at one of the state offices most consistent moments, and the sparking of one national settlement about racism and police misconduct. The officer, Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder.
The legal action, filed last week in Hennepin County District Court, claims the companies have lost revenue, property values, reputation and tenant and rental income. It is claimed that the city’s decisions have led to increased crime and created a ‘no go zone’ for police in the area. It replaces an earlier one lawsuit by business which was rejected two months ago.
Michael Healey, the attorney representing the companies, told the Star Tribune there are two possible outcomes. The companies “could keep the property if a settlement is reached with the city over the diminished value,” he said. The other possibility is that the city could begin the process of taking over the properties and compensating the owners.
A city spokesperson said in a statement that while the city cannot comment on pending litigation, “it understands the challenges residents and businesses have faced in the wake of the murder of George Floyd.”