Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey on Wednesday vetoed the Minneapolis City Council's plan to turn George Floyd Square at 38th and Chicago into a pedestrian mall.
Frey's veto comes nearly five years after George Floyd was murdered by former police office Derek Chauvin.
"I am vetoing this action because it has been nearly five years since George Floyd was murdered and it is time to move forward together now," Frey wrote in a letter to the Council. "At best, a pedestrian mall plan would delay any meaningful progress for at least a year; at worst, it will never be accomplished because of the lack of support from surrounding property owners, and the law itself. This action requires staff to expend significant time and resources when we have neither."
In October, the Frey administration proposed a flexible street design at 38th and Chicago to restore traffic and give the ability to close the area for public gatherings.
That plan was widely rejected by council members who voted recently to have the city evaluate a pedestrian mall layout. Frey criticized those plans and accused the council of trying to "manipulate the process."
"Instead of considering this lack of support, the Council is attempting to manipulate the process by ordering the Department of Public Works to draw a new pedestrian mall that excludes objecting properties, leaving only one potentially supportive voice: the City’s."
Frey's urging the council to reconsider his administration's flexible street option and an attempt to avoid more delays in the construction efforts.
Councilmember Jason Chavez, who lives near 38th and Chicago, took to social media following Frey's veto.
"The Mayor talks about 'moving forward' in vetoing action on George Floyd Square, without having ever truly reckoned with the trauma our community experienced and the sanctity of this place," Chavez wrote. "The City Council will continue to honor the life of George Floyd, those who we’ve lost to police brutality, and our community who has been left hanging in the balance after 5 years of Frey’s indifference to the community’s calls for justice and change. We will continue to pursue a pedestrian plaza at George Floyd Square and honor the sacredness of this place."