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Minneapolis, MN

Hope, continued activism, shine at fourth anniversary of George Floyd’s death

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Hope, continued activism, shine at fourth anniversary of George Floyd’s death


Four years after the killing of George Floyd, there are markedly fewer people protesting on the street. But many have not forgotten. 

“I live with George Floyd with me every day,” said Charles McMillian, who had stopped to witness the incident on May 25, 2020. He addressed a crowd on Saturday gathered to commemorate the day when a Minneapolis police officer knelt on Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes. 

“I carry him with me,” McMillian said. “I will carry him the rest of my life with me. I will carry him to my grave with me because he are me. He’s right here. He ain’t separated from me since the day.”

Charles McMillian, a witness who testified in the trial of Derek Chauvin, speaks to people gathered during a at memorial George Floyd Square in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Saturday.

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Stephen Maturen for MPR News

Several events were held this weekend to remember Floyd, a now annual tradition in Minneapolis. A coalition of activist organizations held a solidarity rally on the corner of Lake Street and Chicago Avenue. They were joined by Floyd’s relatives as well as the family of Calvin Horton Jr., who was shot and killed by a pawn shop owner during the unrest that followed the death of George Floyd. Prosecutors declined to bring charges against the man.

Many activists say Minnesota hasn’t done enough.

“After the murder of George Floyd, we had the murder of Daunte Wright,” said Trahern Crews, founder of Black Lives Matter Minnesota. “After the murder of George Floyd, we had the murder of Amir Locke. We had the murder of Tekle Sundberg. And there still has not been any justice in any of those cases.”

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The rally included Palestinian organizers, with many waving “Free Palestine” banners, and adding to calls for solidarity. “While we’re doing this work, we have to think about our Palestinian brothers, sisters and siblings, who are being massacred and killed, who are not free to live,” said Monique Cullars-Doty, who started organizing after St. Paul police killed her nephew Marcus Golden in 2015. 

The organizers got into their vehicles and rode to 38th Street and Chicago Avenue — the intersection known as George Floyd Square — to join a “Rise and Remember” event hosted by George Floyd Global Memorial, a nonprofit co-led by Floyd’s family.

The organization is being renamed after the event, in part to reflect their goal of advocating for all stolen lives, said Floyd’s aunt Angela Harrelson.

A crowd gathers, holding flowers and candles.

People hold flowers and candles during a memorial at George Floyd Square in Minneapolis on Saturday.

Stephen Maturen for MPR News

“I just want you all to know, we as a community, as people, impacted families, we have to be there for each other,” said Harrelson. “And we have to do battle. Everybody has to do battle because we cannot do this alone.”

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Another relative of Floyd also spoke.

“We’ve all hurt, cried, suffered because of the loss of a loved one, so we’re not special. We just happen to be blood relatives of George Floyd,” said Thomas McClaurin, Floyd’s first cousin. “But think about if your family member lie on the ground in that corner. What would you do? Would you just wallow in your own stuff? Would you get up and do something? And that’s all ‘Rise and Remember’ is asking you all to do.” 

Several of Floyd’s relatives flew in from out of state to attend events this weekend. They shared smiles and hugs with local organizers, expressing the support they feel in Minneapolis. 

Six people stand near an altar full of candles.

Members of George Floyds family look on during a memorial at George Floyd Square in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25, 2024. Saturday marks four years since Floyd was killed while in the custody of Minneapolis Police.

Stephen Maturen for MPR News

“Every time I come down here, it just — my heart is broken and also it’s just happiness,” said Floyd’s aunt Mahalia Jones, visiting from North Carolina. “Because when I visit the George Floyd Square, there’s so much love and so much power in what y’all stand for. And it’s such a beautiful thing.” 

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The event centered many of the organizers, residents, volunteers, and artists at the heart of George Floyd Square. 

Jamaican native Gloria Burnett has lived in the area for 30 years, earning the nickname “Mama G” for her role cooking, feeding, and caring for folks in the neighborhood. She took the stage on Saturday as her daughter, Christine Chambers, translated. 

“One thing I can say, honestly, is that I’ve seen that come out of this tragedy is I now know most, if not all, my neighbors,” said Burnett. “I’ve noticed that our community here and around the surrounding areas are building better bonds with each other, And everyone’s getting to know one another. Looking out for each other.”



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Minneapolis, MN

Country star hit in the face onstage with X-rated item

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Country star hit in the face onstage with X-rated item


Celebrities often deal with unruly fans at their concerts, so it’s not the first time Wallen has had something thrown at him. Last year, an irritated fan chucked a boot at the country singer as they waited for him to sign an autograph. Instead of signing it, he turned to throw it away from where it came from.

I Had Some Help recently enjoyed five undisrupted weeks at the top of the charts, allowing the Cowgirls singer to take the crown for the most weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart in the 2020s from Taylor Swift.

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Wallen is currently in the North American leg of his One Night at a Time World Tour, performing at stadiums around the globe. He’ll be performing at shows across the US until August 9, before jetting off to Europe for a slew of more shows from August 28.

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Many of Wallen’s North American concerts had to be cancelled and rescheduled last year after the singer needed to treat vocal fold trauma, which the National Institute of Health explains is “caused by excessive or improper use of the voice”.

He was able to return to the stage a month later after being given the all-clear by his doctors.

On April 7, Wallen was arrested on three felony counts after he allegedly threw a chair off the bar roof of a six-storey building in Nashville.

A group of police officers were on the ground outside the building when the chair landed about 1 metre away from them. They entered the building and went up to Nashville’s Chiefs Bar, and staff identified Wallen as responsible for throwing the chair.

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Later that month, the country singer addressed concerned fans by sharing a statement accepting fault for the incident on X.

Morgan Wallen’s One Night at a Time tour is taking him across North America and Europe over the next few months for a slew of stadium shows. Photo / AP

“I didn’t feel right publicly checking in until I made amends with some folks. I’ve touched base with Nashville law enforcement, my family, and the good people at Chief’s. I’m not proud of my behavior, and I accept responsibility,” Wallen wrote.

“I have the utmost respect for the officers working every day to keep us all safe. Regarding my tour, there will be no change.”

Despite his apology, Wallen’s arrest has landed him in hot water with the Nashville Metro Council. In a 30-3 vote last month, Nashville council members rejected an application to install a billboard sign atop Wallen’s under-construction This Bar & Tennessee Kitchen in central Nashville, reported People.

Explaining her decision, Councilwoman at Large Delishia Porterfield pointed to the singer’s controversial past.

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“We want to make sure that Nashville was a supportive place for everyone, so I don’t want to see a billboard with the name of a person who’s throwing chairs off balconies and who is saying racial slurs, using the n-word, so I’m voting no,” Porterfield said.

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Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis’ contested housing development plan plows forward

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Minneapolis’ contested housing development plan plows forward


Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and other government officials celebrated moving forward with the city’s housing development plan, the 2040 Comprehensive Plan, on Tuesday.

The plan had been in a years-long court battle. Opposing organizations alleged that the city should have conducted an environmental review before approving the plan. 

The 2040 plan aims to establish more densely built and affordable housing for Minneapolis’ future development. 

“This is a day that has been six years in the making, in that when Minneapolis recognized that we had an affordable housing shortage, we recognize that we like so many other cities throughout the country needed to increase our supply of housing. The 2040 plan helped us get there,” Frey said.

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Legislation in the 2024 session clarified the bill, allowing for stalled housing projects to begin again. 

“Our legislative intent was very clear that this was a bill to end this lawsuit and to defend the Minneapolis 2040 plan,” said Rep. Sydney Jordan, DFL-Minneapolis. “We believe in this plan. We took huge steps this year to defend it and we will continue to do so as necessary.” 

Jack Perry, the attorney for opposing groups like Smart Growth Minneapolis and Minnesota Citizens for the Protection of Migratory Birds, said their fight is far from over. They filed an appeal with the Supreme Court. 

“Almost every project is financed and it is pretty hard to finance something when the authority is based upon a 2040 plan that is tied up in litigation,” Perry said. “The mayor says they’re going forward. That’s all fine but the actual developers will have to worry about this litigation. He may not because it’s not his pocketbook that’s being opened up to build things based upon a foundation of a plan that is highly suspect.”

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The press conference celebrating the 2040 plan was held at Wakpada Apartments, a new complex that’s a product of the 2040 plan.

One of the apartment’s developers, Sean Sweeney, said the 2040 plan has allowed him to be creative and “do things that benefit the community.”

“I’ve worked in several markets around the country, and I can say without a doubt that being a developer in Minneapolis, especially now with the 2040 plan, is an absolute dream,” Sweeney said. 

The plan began in 2018. Since then, Minneapolis has invested over $360 million into affordable rental housing and homeownership programs.

“Minneapolis is being seen around the country as a leader in the affordable housing space, we’re seen as a leader in this push to desegregate cities. And we’re seen as a municipality to copy and to replicate in the work that we’re having right now,” Frey said.

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Minneapolis, MN

32-year-old charged with hiding body of Minneapolis woman

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32-year-old charged with hiding body of Minneapolis woman


A 32-year-old Iowa woman was charged on Tuesday with concealing the body of Liara Tsai, 35, of Minneapolis.

Court records show that Margot Lewis made her first appearance in Olmsted County Court Tuesday morning.

According to a criminal complaint, authorities were called to a one-vehicle crash at the intersection of I-90 and Highway 42 in Olmsted County on Saturday.

Based on tire tracks, authorities believe the driver, identified as Lewis, was speeding eastbound on I-90 when she went into the median.

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Bystanders told responding deputies there appeared to be a deceased or injured person in the car.

Inside, deputies found a body wrapped in a bed sheet, a blanket, a futon-style mattress and a tarp, court documents state. The person, later identified as Tsai, was obviously deceased and authorities said she didn’t seem to have been killed in the crash. She was cold to the touch and there was dried blood on the blanket.

Investigators later found a large wound on the right side of Tsai’s neck.

Lewis was medically cleared at the hospital and then booked into Olmsted County Jail. She did not respond audibly to law enforcement.

Lewis’ mugshot is not yet available on the Olmsted County Jail roster. This article will be updated when it becomes available.

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The Medical Examiner confirmed on Sunday that Tsai was killed before the car crash.

Monday evening, Minneapolis police and members of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension executed a search warrant of Tsai’s home on 16th Street East and found a scene “indicating violence.”

Investigators have not announced any arrests for Tsai’s death.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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