A total of eight Minneapolis businesses near George Floyd Square have now filed lawsuits claiming major losses as a result of "city conduct."
It was at that corner of 38th and Chicago in south Minneapolis that former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin killed Floyd, sparking unrest, riots and now nearly five years of uncertainty for the neighborhood.
Cup Foods and seven other business say they’ve lost income, lost employees, and have seen their property values plummet. Attorney Michael Healey is representing the businesses and tells WCCO's Vineeta Sawkar the city made a few dire mistakes,
"Number one, of course, they're liable for the murder of by a police officer who was acting in the scope of his duties for Minneapolis," says Healey. "Number two, they left barricades up at the intersection for more than one year. And then the third and perhaps most important, the mayor or someone at the City of Minneapolis decided that they were going to withhold police protection."
The owners of a handful of the businesses are claiming city leaders failed to open the roads near 38th and Chicago in a timely and safe manner. Healey says they plan to seek $49 million in damages.
"What they really would like to see, for those who have survived there, is that their business can operate in an efficient and safe manner at that intersection," explains Healey. "And, in that respect, the city has not done them right since the murder of George Floyd."
The next court hearing on the matter is set for later this month.
Willie Frazier, owner of Finish Touch Boutique in the neighborhood, says everything for them changed after Floyd's death.
"We have no traffic, it's a no go-to zone now," says Frazier who spoke to WCCO's Adam and Jordana Wednesday. "We have no traffic to support our business. For some reason they won't come in the square. Now they put it off another year. It just seems like they don't want us down there, they want to force us out of there."
Frazier is referring to the City of Minneapolis which has struggled to come up with a permanent plan for the intersection. Early in February, a Minneapolis City Council committee voted to approve a motion that would table a plan to reopen George Floyd Square to traffic. Instead, the Council decided to pursue the idea of turning the intersection into a pedestrian mall.
That's an idea nearly every business in the area - and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey - has opposed. Frey went so far as to call the decision "shady" and "gerrymandering" to suit the council's personal agendas.
"We cannot afford to waste more time. We need to listen to the community, support our local businesses, and prioritize progress. It’s time to move forward — together," Frey said on social media after the decision to table it for now.
It is also opposed by Councilmember Andrea Jenkins who shared he frustration with a process that has been going on for years. Jenkins represents that Ward.
"I'm really disgusted by this political game that's being played," Jenkins said last month.
Frazier says at meetings about George Floyd Square, the city seems more interested in the opinion of outsiders instead of the residents and business owners in the neighborhood.
"They all got their opinion on what should go on in our neighborhood," he tells WCCO. "And the city's holding us up because of their opinion, what they want to agree to. They don't know nothing about this area. They're never going to come into this area. I just don't understand."