8 businesses sue Minneapolis, saying city allowed activists, gangs to take over George Floyd Square
Eight more businesses have sued the city of Minneapolis over its handling of the neighborhood where George Floyd was killed by police, alleging their businesses were damaged when officers stopped responding to the area, and activists, gangs and crime took over.
The business owners say when the city blocked off a four-block area around 38th Street and Chicago Avenue to give people space to grieve in summer 2020, they allowed it to be overtaken by “civilian occupiers” to the point where it became a violent, lawless “no-go zone” that disrupted and, in some cases, ruined their businesses. They say the city’s actions amounted to condemnation of their property without compensation.
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The latest lawsuit says business owners who operate near the intersection, in what’s now called George Floyd Square, have dealt with spiraling crime and violence since Floyd’s 2020 killing.
“The city’s decision to allow civilian occupiers to ‘guard’ the zone enhanced economic hardship on the surrounding businesses and caused deadly results, including the takeover of the intersection by gangs,” the lawsuit says. The Bloods gang is active in the George Floyd Square area and at one point provided “security” in the neighborhood after police stepped back.
The lawsuit cites examples of the violence business owners have experienced or witnessed while trying to make a living.
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https://www.startribune.com/george-floyd-square-businesses-sue-minneapolis-condemnation/601234292
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