Atum Azzahir has stood at the center of George Floyd Square: as a space within walking distance of her home and as a community elder called upon by the City of Minneapolis to help guide its plan for the memorial site.

She welcomed the City Council's vote on Dec. 5 to refer back to committee the city's recommended proposal, in favor of turning the intersection of 38 Street and Chicago Avenue into a pedestrian plaza open only to emergency vehicles and local traffic. The move aligns with the wishes of residents, activists, and leaders who said the plan presented to the council in November failed to address community concerns.

"The uniting we have to do as people, the standing together we have to do as people -- that happens at the pace of trust," said Azzahir, executive director of the Minneapolis-based Cultural Wellness Center. "I see this as a cultural and spiritual challenge where we're really at a place of healing. Healing is at the core of what we're building."

The resolution was introduced by Ward 9 Council Member Jason Chavez, whose district includes part of the intersection. City staff who drafted the proposal for the intersection previously told the council that they considered a pedestrian plaza but determined such a plan was unworkable given the need for access to area homes and businesses.

In its 8-5 vote, the council referred the matter back to its Environment and Infrastructure Committee, which next meets on Jan. 9. If adopted then, the city council would vote on an ordinance to establish the pedestrian plaza as part of the final redevelopment plan for what has become a sacred site honoring George Floyd and other Black victims of police violence.

During the last legislative session, state lawmakers granted municipalities the authority to designate pedestrian-centric areas -- prompting Ward7 Council Member Katie Cashman to question why Minneapolis would pass on such an opportunity for George Floyd Square. She further noted that the city lobbied for this change in state law to accommodate a pedestrian plaza as part of the area's redevelopment project.

"We had a great presentation from Public Works staff on this project," said Cashman, who chairs the Environment and Infrastructure Committee. "I think there is so much good work that I hope can move forward in the corridor in 2025 and in the coming years. But I do think that given we have new authority ... to establish pedestrian malls in the city I think it is appropriate for us to pursue that opportunity with George Floyd Square, which is a very special place in the city."

The city shared its final "vision document" for George Floyd Square with community members on Oct. 29 and officially presented its plan to the City Council on Nov. 12. The framework included infrastructure improvements, enhanced pedestrian access, dedicated space for memorials, and a flexible street design that could be closed to vehicle traffic to accommodate community gatherings.

At a town hall held between those two events, residents, activists, and leaders highlighted multiple concerns with the city's plan -- noting that it didn't reflect community demands following Floyd's murder. Among those were calls for affordable housing, economic development, and other livability issues including access to health care. They called on the council to block the city's plan, stating they didn't want changes to a healing-based memorial to merely make way for roadway and other infrastructure improvements.

"This vote should be more than just about infrastructure, and it should not gloss over or erase what happened here," Chavez said in his opening statement at the Dec. 5 council meeting. "It should be about healing, growth, and honoring the voices of those who advocate for progress.

"This resolution is supporting a pathway forward," he added. "I am saying that we will be building a pedestrian mall moving forward, but we will also be hearing from community to address the concerns that they have about livability, about housing, about economic development."

Even before council discussion began, the resolution met with dissent by Ward 3 Councilman Michael Rainville, who twice interrupted Chavez during his opening remarks. Rainville challenged his colleague's depiction of the Minneapolis Police Department's responsibility in Floyd's murder on May 25, 2020 -- stating that Floyd died at the hands of one officer.

Criticism otherwise was muted, coming primarily from Council Member Andrea Jenkins, whose ward is adjacent to Chavez's and covers part of George Floyd Square. Jenkins was among the five casting no votes, citing delays and resources already spent on developing the city proposal.

"It is clearly a delay. There is no two ways about it," Jenkins said. "It completely disregards thousands of hours of community engagement, of staff time, of staff recommendation."

After the council vote, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey again expressed frustration with the council.

"The council continues to kick the can down the road," said Frey, who increasingly finds himself at odds with the council and has vetoed more of its measures than his last two predecessors combined. "We have done extensive engagement; we talked to community members. People in the community need change. They need to see progress."

During the council meeting, city staff said the change-up in plan likely would delay the start of reconstruction, initially planned to begin next June. Public Works Director Tim Sexton told the council it would be "really difficult" to begin construction as previously scheduled while reconfiguring city plans to adopt the pedestrian plaza option.

Speaking with the MSR following the council vote, City Council President Elliott Payne said more is at stake than a timeline. Payne said the council's action shouldn't be regarded as a delay -- but as a way to honor the community and recognize its ongoing needs.

"The City Council voted to move forward with the staff-proposed pedestrian plaza concept for George Floyd Square," he said. "It wasn't a vote to delay; it was a vote that shows City Council supports a comprehensive vision for the future of George Floyd Square."