Melting Candles at George Floyd Square Memorial, Minneapolis

Plastic candles, some bearing handwritten messages, melt in the summer heat at the George Floyd Memorial in George Floyd Square, Minneapolis. This site became a focal point for protests and activism following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020. The memorial, located at the intersection where Floyd was killed, serves as a space for remembrance, community gathering, and continued calls for racial justice and police reform. On May 25, 2020, Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered 46-year-old George Floyd during an arrest outside Cup Foods at the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in south Minneapolis. Video recorded by bystanders showed Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes while Floyd repeatedly said he could not breathe. Three other Minneapolis police officers - J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao — were also present during the arrest and later faced criminal charges for their roles in Floyd’s death. Floyd’s murder sparked protests and civil unrest across Minneapolis and around the world, leading to widespread demonstrations against police violence, major policy debates on policing, and the conviction of Chauvin on murder and manslaughter charges in 2021.

Photo taken in June 2021.