The intersection where a Minneapolis police officer murdered George Floyd has an uncertain future. The memorial site has become a meeting place for activists, but some businesses say the corner is trapped in time.
Kerem Yücel for NPR
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Kerem Yücel for NPR
It’s a chilly morning at the corner of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in South Minneapolis. A group of activists are sitting around a fire pit set up between defunct gas pumps.
This gas station has been vacant ever since George Floyd was murdered across the street five years ago. And this group of people has met here, they say, every morning since.
“It started in the early days where there were thousands of people in the streets,” says Star Martin, a community member. “We were just checking in. ‘How is everybody? Who needs help?’ And we just kept doing it.”
The group views this ritual as a form of resistance — a protest that continued after the rest of the world quieted down.
Marcia Howard, seated at center, speaks with another community member at George Floyd Square. Activists say they have gathered here every morning for the last five years.
Kerem Yücel for NPR
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Kerem Yücel for NPR
“We still stand here. And it is not a mistake that five years later since the lynching of George Floyd, that we are…