Letting the Community Lead: The Case for Agape at 38th and Chicago

Six years after the tragedy that reshaped Minneapolis, neighbors and Black entrepreneurs at George Floyd Square welcome a homegrown vision for economic empowerment, healing, and safety.

On Thursday I visited 38th and Chicago, also known as George Floyd Square, to talk with the local community members before the weekend events. A group known as Rise and Remember holds an annual festival in honor of George Floyd, bringing the broader community together to remember a life that was lost 6 years ago. The excitement on Thursday, however, centered on the city’s recent selection of the Minnesota Agape Movement to develop a community meeting and activation space across from the current memorial called the People’s Way.

That afternoon, I found an energetic group of community members moving from one conversation to another, enjoying the upbeat music from a boombox located in the garden memorial. It made it easy to mingle between groups, hear stories, experience jokes, and listen to the community’s vision. Every time I visit George Floyd Square, I engage with the Agape members, who have advocated for the neighborhood even before the events of May 2020. They are always there talking with business owners, engaging with tourists, sharing their vision with outsiders, and protecting the community from criminal activity.

Last week, the city recommended the Agape Movement as the organization to develop the People’s Way. Four proposals were originally submitted and presented last year, including another from the group Rise and Remember, whose vision of a garden memorial gained substantial support on a public survey last year. The city’s decision still needs the Minneapolis City Council’s approval at the June 3rd committee meeting, and the choice of Agape over Rise and Remember has led to some controversy among some city council members.

38th and Chicago is a raw, organic community with strong voices and many opinions, so I figured I would ask them directly what they thought. My sample included artists, business owners, caretakers, photographers, violence interrupters, and Black entrepreneurs. Based on my discussions, public local support was overall positive and included three key items:

Agape members, who specialize in violence interruption, are on the ground daily. They have been working closely with the city to maintain safety and seek peace in the area, as well as bridging gaps between the community and law enforcement. In fact, while I was there, they were asked to address a concern with activity in the alley. Agape is one of the primary reasons that the square is open today. They took a controversial risk in June 2021 to help the city open the square, something that many believe helped improve public safety and economic development. The business community is especially grateful.

The group’s primary vision is to build community. One of their mottos is to transform street energy into community energy. They want to work together with everyone, including other organizations like Rise and Remember. In fact, those currently maintaining the living memorial are excited to work with Agape, adding their creativity to the project. Several community members described “working together” as the key difference between Agape and other groups. In Agape’s proposal presentation, they agreed that community engagement on the design of the People’s Way was more important than the six-story building, referred to as a placeholder. They have publicly extended the olive branch to Rise and Remember, hoping to work towards a common vision.

Agape is part of the Black community and stands with the local businesses. They are partners with organizations like Paisley Park, the Sabathani Community Center, A Mother’s Love, youth programs, career development centers, parks, community groups, and Black-owned businesses. Individual members work in schools, teach chess to youth, and lead writing groups for trauma healing. Agape also hosts community events that build awareness and facilitate discussion on key topics relevant to their community. Their vision for the People’s Way is to create a place that is designed to support the Black community through healing, entrepreneurship, economic empowerment, and community development.

Over the last year I have personally experienced many of these qualities. My first interaction was through an Agape member who was giving a tour with Rise and Remember. Like an extended family, these organizations are not as separate as it looks to an outsider. They know and care for each other, and some are actually family. The tour guide asked me my story and stated that the goal was to build community. Over the course of several separate conversations, he and other leaders with Agape challenged me to listen and become a part of the story. It was a simple request: show up and get to know them.

Last year the Minneapolis Public Works presented a community engagement open house at the Square to present the city council’s recommendation to study a pedestrian plaza. The local sentiment was more solemn than the one experienced on Thursday. Outside, I joined a conversation with a community member talking with the Agape leaders. This person voiced frustration, “They don’t get it. Why won’t they let us lead and build up our own community? Wouldn’t we know what is best?” My understanding is that the Black community wants to lead, but many feel that the opportunity is often taken away by other groups with different agendas.

In contrast, the people in the Agape Movement, all members of the Black community, understand the difficult and diverse struggle that Black Americans live on a daily basis. Several involved in Agape are ex-gang members who want to help the next generation grow into healthy adults who avoid the pitfalls of gang life and gun violence. Their investment is time, their testimony is experience, and their motivation is their people.

As we go into a season of debate over the qualifications of the Agape Movement, I want to challenge people to go to the square and get to know them. They are there and you can meet them. Perhaps they will even take a picture together. They continue to show unconditional love to me, and have even taken risks on my behalf. Most importantly, they risked their reputation when opening the square in 2021 in hopes of building positive change in the neighborhood. I asked them why and they responded with this thought: If you want to see change, you need to do the hard things, even though risks may bring negative consequences. Either way, whatever happens, we will still be there supporting and protecting our community.