In 9 minutes and 29 seconds, George Floyd was killed, forever changing this neighborhood

MINNEAPOLIS — Nine minutes and 29 seconds was enough time for 46 cars to pass 38th Street and Chicago Avenue.

MINNEAPOLIS — Nine minutes and 29 seconds was enough time for 46 cars to pass 38th Street and Chicago Avenue. 

In the same 9 minutes and 29 seconds, 18 customers went in and out of the convenience store on the corner. Six patrons bought beverages or snacks from the coffee shop across the street. Four people signed up for a guided tour of the neighborhood in front of the gas station. Four visiting Chicagoans took pictures of the flowers, stuffed animals, potted plants, posters and other ephemera that form a makeshift memorial. 

For 9 minutes and 29 seconds on May 25, 2020, Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee and the weight of his body against George Floyd’s neck at this very intersection. As Floyd called for his mother in his final words, Chauvin killed him in the street as people watched. Two officers held the unarmed, handcuffed Black man down. A third monitored the crowd that was stunned by what it witnessed.