Dispatches from Reclaimed Space.
During the unrest that followed the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police in May of 2020, communities around the nation attempted to reclaim spaces in their cities that would become symbols of resistance, resilience and healing. These spaces were and in some cases still are used as places to meet, to distribute supplies, to memorialize, to build new community structures, to reassert autonomy and to tear down vestiges of oppression.
Dispatch 1: George Floyd Square, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
People takes photos in front of a painting of George Floyd that sits next to a memorial placed over the spot where he was killed, in George Floyd Square on April 17, 2021, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
People hold their fists up, while a sign behind them tracks the days of Derek Chauvin’s trial for killing George Floyd, during an Asian Solidarity rally in George Floyd Square on April 18, 2021, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Jaylin from Cypher Side Dance School, a north St. Paul dance school, breakdances during an Asian Solidarity rally in George Floyd Square on April 18, 2021, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
A memorial to Daunte Wright, another black man killed by a Brooklyn Center police officer a week before hand, sits steps away from the memorial placed over the place where George Floyd was killed, on April 17, 2021, in George Floyd Square, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
A community book shelf built by the community sits in George Floyd Square on April 17, 2021, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence founder Toshira Garraway speaks during an Asian Solidarity rally in George Floyd Square on April 18, 2021, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Supplies gathered by community members sit under a repurposed bus stop in the George Floyd Square on April 17, 2021, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Micheal Wilson, from Minneapolis, carries his son while speaking at an Asian Solidarity rally in George Floyd Square on April 18, 2021, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
People listen to speakers during an Asian Solidarity rally in George Floyd Square on April 18, 2021, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Community members come together to cover a portrait of George Floyd with a tarp as a storm rolls in after the close of rally in George Floyd Square, on April 18, 2021, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Dispatch 2: Honoring Breonna Taylor One Year Later in “Injustice Square,”Louisville, Kentucky.
Protesters signs ring around a memorial to Breonna Taylor on March 13, 2021, in downtown Louisville, Kentucky.
A community member pays their respects to the memorial of Travis Nagdy, a protest leader who was killed in a car jacking in November 2020, on March 13, 2021, in downtown Louisville, Kentucky.
A protester wearing a hat that says ‘Make America Arrest The Cops Who Killed Breonna Taylor” holds his fist up during a march marking one year since her killing by Louisville police officers, on March 13, 2021, in downtown Louisville, Kentucky.
A large portrait of Breonna Taylor, along with protesters signs, sits in her memorial on March 13, 2021, in downtown Louisville, Kentucky.
Protesters raise their hands while facing a line of police during a march through downtown Louisville marking one year since Breonna Taylor’s murder by officers of the Louisville Metro Police Department, on March 13, 2021.
Memorials to others killed by police and white supremacy surround Breonna Taylors memorial on March 13, 2021, in downtown Louisville, Kentucky.
A protesters bears a cross during a march through downtown Louisville marking one year since Breonna Taylor’s murder by officers of the Louisville Metro Police Department, on March 13, 2021.
Wanted posters displaying the pictures of the officers responsible for the murder of Breonna Taylor are pasted on the memorial, on March 13, 2023, in Louisville, Kentucky.
Protesters carry a banner honoring Breonna Taylor during a march through downtown Louisville marking one year since her murder by officers of the Louisville Metro Police Department, on March 13, 2021.
Dispatch 3: Marcus David Peters Circle, Richmond, Virginia.
Community members celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. day while protected by concrete barriers around the edges of the circle to protect people from vehicles, on January 18, 2021, in Richmond, Virginia.
A garden and sign placed there by community members, which reads “Welcome to Beautiful Marcus-David Peter Circle, Liberated by the People MMXX,” sits inside of the traffic circle where the Robert E Lee Statue was located on January 18, 2021, in Richmond, Virginia. The traffic circle was renamed by protesters as “Marcus-David Peters Circle” in remembrance of a Black high school teacher who was shot and killed by a 10-year veteran of the Richmond Police Department while Peters, who was unarmed, was having a mental health crisis on May 14, 2018.
A community member relaxes on one of the raised parts of the pedestal during the Martin Luther King Day celebrations in the square on January 18, 2021, in Richmond, Virginia.
Community members play basketball during the Martin Luther King day celebrations in the square on January 18, 2021, in Richmond, Virginia. The traffic circle became a meeting place for Richmond’s activists community, regularly hosting community events, food distributions, protests, and art displays.
Memorials to others victims of police violence and white supremacy surround the pedestal in the traffic circle, on January 18, 2023, in Richmond, Virginia.
The statue of Robert E Lee is lifted off of its pedestal by workers while they dismantle the monument on September 8, 2021, in Richmond, Virginia.
A community member passes out flowers grown in the traffic circle to people watching the dismantling of the monument on September 8, 2021, in Richmond, Virginia.
Workers separate pieces of the Robert E Lee statue while they dismantle the monument on September 8, 2021, in Richmond, Virginia.
Community members celebrate on the periphery of the square while workers dismantle the monument on September 8, 2021, in Richmond, Virginia.
Robert E Lee’s legs and horse are lifted off of its pedestal during the dismantling of the monument on September 8, 2021, in Richmond, Virginia.