A stretch of Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis where George Floyd was killed will be renamed George Perry Floyd Jr Place, the city council approved on Friday. The blocks between 37th and 39th streets will carry the new name, with Mayor Jacob Frey expected to sign off.
Floyd, a Black man, died on 25 May after Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes despite Floyd's pleas that he could not breathe. Bystander video of the incident sparked global protests against police brutality and systemic racism.
The renaming follows similar moves in other US cities. In Washington DC, a section of 16th Street near the White House was renamed Black Lives Matter Plaza, while in New York, a portion of Fifth Avenue outside Trump Tower was painted with the same slogan.
The intersection where Floyd died remains barricaded, with a memorial in place. Demonstrators have occupied the area, demanding anti-racism training and a temporary property tax freeze. The city had planned to reopen 38th Street this summer but postponed the move to avoid confrontation.
