It has been five years since America first heard the name George Floyd. What happened during a confrontation between Minneapolis police and Floyd, who had reportedly tried to pass a counterfeit $20 bill in a convenience store and later died after that confrontation, is still being debated today. What is not debatable is the condition of the area surrounding where the events of that day occurred, now known as "George Floyd Square." With the help of the city, the left still attempts to keep that area their sacred and hallowed shrine to social justice, but the existence of that shrine is crippling the very people they claim to care about. Now, a few of them have had enough.
8 businesses sue Minneapolis, saying city allowed activists, gangs to take over George Floyd Square https://t.co/xsk5tqNCxS
— The Minnesota Star Tribune (@StarTribune) March 12, 2025
Edwin Reed is the owner of Sincere Detailing Pros, a car detailing shop that sits in the heart of George Floyd Square. He is one of eight other business owners in the area who filed a lawsuit against the city of Minneapolis. They allege that the city has turned a blind eye as activists and gangs have taken over the square. Edwin Reed's story of the demise of his business, largely done by the city he grew up in, is disturbing. Reed says he was making around $390,000 a year at his business's height. In 2024, his income plummeted to just $9,700. But it gets worse, Reed said.
“I’ve had to get rid of employees, I couldn’t afford them. A lot of my employees are 1099. They were making $1,000 a week out of 13 guys that I had on staff. We were seeing roughly 25 cars a week. That has not happened. We’re only getting maybe even three to four cars a month. So it’s been pretty horrible. I’m a very hardworking individual. I grew up in this area. I grew up in Minnesota. I’ve been here since 1984...I’ve saved all my money to start this business. And I have lost everything. My house is in foreclosure … it hasn’t been the same, you know, since George Floyd died. Honestly, when George Floyd died, my company died right along with George Floyd.”
The problem for Reed and other business owners is the barricades that went up after Floyd's death to create the square. Pedestrians can access the area, but vehicles can't. That is an even bigger problem for a car detailing business. But the problems don't end there. Police in the area are scarce, and the bad guys know it. Reed says gangs have taken over the area, and one of their enterprises is extorting protection money from businesses. He added that several owners have been shot for failing to make payments to the gangs.
Minneapolis faces another lawsuit from businesses near ‘George Floyd Square’
— Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) March 13, 2025
"Criminals knew the area lacked police protection," says the lawsuit. pic.twitter.com/7eXHkVeWIV
The pleas for help from business owners to the city have fallen on deaf ears. Reed went on to say:
“No one heard our cries. They totally turned their backs on us. There’s eight businesses that lost everything and they’re grandfathered in, businesses that have been there more than 15 years. They’ve lost everything.”
The city has filed a motion to dismiss the case and issued a statement saying,
“As with all areas of the city, MPD provides 24/7 emergency response to the 38th and Chicago area. Chief O’Hara has assigned two officers to a dedicated beat in this area, focusing on community engagement, relationship-building, and collaborating with local businesses and residents.”
Also Read: Retired Police Lieutenant: Tim Walz 'Intentionally Let Minneapolis Burn'
Reed added that there have been no visits to the area by either Mayor Jacob Frey or Minnesota Gov. Tim "Jazz Hands" Walz, who is busy watching Tesla stock drop. But isn't George Floyd Square supposed to be a living monument to social justice and the rights of minorities and oppressed people? As usual, for all of their virtue-signaling, the left is hurting the very people they claim to care about -- in this case, minority-owned businesses. But as places like Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington D.C. get paved over, the social justice warriors appear to be clinging to their last piece of captured territory, and Edwin Reed and other business owners are just collateral damage.
Reed lamented, “I stayed because I have a lot invested in that area. I have a lot invested in that building. It was a thriving location for all businesses. We were doing very well for ourselves until this happened."
Reed and his fellow business owners are finding out the hard way that nothing gets in the way of paying homage to St. George.
A business owner from George Floyd Square, Edwin Reed of Sincere Detailing Pros, spilled the beans, saying, “I have lost everything,” as he takes Minneapolis to court over woes since the 2020 unrest. “My American dream has been ruined,” he added, claiming the city let chaos tank… pic.twitter.com/pijnzvPFN8
— The Kind Joe (@TheKindJoe) March 27, 2025
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