Chalked Names of Police Violence Victims on Uptown Minneapolis Parking Ramp

Names of victims of police violence are written in chalk on the concrete base of a parking ramp in Uptown Minneapolis. This memorial appeared days after Winston Smith was killed by law enforcement officers on the ramp's rooftop. The names, including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Daunte Wright, represent individuals whose deaths have fueled protests against police brutality and racial injustice across the United States. On June 3, 2021, members of a U.S. Marshals Service fugitive task force fatally shot 32-year-old Winston “Boogie” Smith Jr. on the top level of a parking ramp in Minneapolis’ Uptown neighborhood while attempting to arrest him on a felony warrant. Authorities said Smith fired a handgun from inside his vehicle during the encounter, while family members and activists questioned the official account and demanded the release of additional evidence. The killing led to weeks of protests, street occupations, and confrontations with police in Uptown, becoming another major flashpoint in Minneapolis during the period following the murder of George Floyd. Earlier in the day Minneapolis city officials along with The Agape Movement coordinated to open the streets that had been closed at George Floyd Square since his murder.

Photo taken in June 2021.