George Floyd March on Park Avenue
Marchers on Park Avenue head toward downtown Minneapolis on June 5, 2020, carrying handmade signs
June 5, 2020 — Minneapolis, MN
On June 5, 2020, thousands of demonstrators marched north along Park Avenue toward downtown Minneapolis, eleven days after George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer at the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue. The march was one of many that moved through the city's south side neighborhoods during that period, with Park Avenue serving as a recurring corridor for crowds heading into the city center.
George Floyd died on May 25, 2020, after officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes during an arrest outside Cup Foods. The killing was recorded by bystanders and circulated widely, triggering protests that began in Minneapolis within days and spread across the United States and to cities abroad. By June 5, the demonstrations in Minneapolis had moved through their most volatile early days — the Third Precinct building had been abandoned and burned on May 28 — and the marches were taking on a more sustained, organized character.
The crowds on Park Avenue that day carried handmade signs addressing police violence, systemic racism, and responses they rejected, including counter-messaging aimed at the "All Lives Matter" framing. Signs memorializing Breonna Taylor, who had been killed by Louisville police in March 2020, appeared alongside Black Lives Matter placards. Many participants wore face masks, a visible reminder that the protests were unfolding during the first summer of the COVID-19 pandemic, when large outdoor gatherings carried their own separate risk.
The question of what accountability would look like for Floyd's killing remained open. Derek Chauvin was arrested and charged on May 29, but his trial would not begin until March 2021. The marches continued.
