Not sure how we didn’t hear about this, but George Floyd’s family has proposed a memorial center in downtown Raleigh in his honor. They would like to establish a scholarship fund and center focusing on education, training, advocating for justice and equality as well as a museum of urbanistic art.
The mayor has signaled her support.
Thanks to @rgmedd who mentioned this in another thread. I think this is a big enough dealthat it deserves its own thread.
That’s pretty interesting. I’d support this wholeheartedly. I can see some resistance coming though. I looked him up on Wikipedia just now because I hadn’t realized he was from NC, and the first paragraph says this:
“Between 1997 and 2005, he was convicted of eight crimes. He served four years in prison after accepting a plea bargain for a 2007 aggravated robbery in a home invasion.”
What happened to him was absolutely horrific. But he also wasn’t exactly non-controversial. Regardless, the BLM movement and the goal of racial justice is admirable. Definitely interested to see what comes of this in our city and beyond.
Will never raise the funds for this. Legislature will laugh at any suggestion the State pay for it and the City will only offer funding if the State pays…not to mention the politics of trying to build this…
The guy was from Fayetteville. Why are they trying to build this in Raleigh?
Capital City, I’m assuming.
I’m into it. He has family in Raleigh and it will get more visitors here and they want it to be an educational and cultural center. I love the idea of Raleigh having another art museum downtown too.
Yep, why Dreamville is in Raleigh and not Fayettenam.
I’m super curious what the 10-20 million dollars represents. The website linked in the story uses the word “campus”. That’s rather ambitious for that budget.
I agree. I don’t think $20 million would get the type of physical facility they are talking about, much less the scholarship, youth leadership academy, music academy, and e-learning center. They are talking about a wide range of ambitious things. I hope they have success, but they may need to focus on one or two of aspects (or raise even more funds).
Frankly, and as much as I’d like to see something architectural and monumental sooner rather than later, I’d focus the money on the programs & not the building. Building don’t make a difference; programs do.
Maybe they can also add a section for Eve Carson, surely it should be all inclusive for the entire community to get behind
George Floyd’s family has settled a lawsuit against the city of Minneapolis for $27 million. I don’t know if any of them are the same family members who are proposing the museum here.
They are the same family members who want to build the center in Raleigh.
I love how the money is coming to Raleigh but this might be the “justice” they receive which is saddening and frustrating. Personally I wouldn’t accept the money because it’s just hush money.
They’ll will be justice for George Floyd, and Derek Chauvin will go to jail or else. IMO if there no justice for George Floyd and Chauvin is acquitted there literally maybe a uprising, it will be worse than last Summer which hit Downtown Raleigh we had the largest riot in the Stste, according to Wikipedia. So imagine other big cities, you don’t wanna see it if you know about the Holy Week Uprising after Martin Luther King JR Death I’d advise you to look it up it won’t be just Chicago, Detroit, Baltimore, And D.C. it be every city including Raleigh.
WRAL article about how the settlement could bring memorials to NC. Apparently there is also talk about one in Fayetteville.
ABC 11 article about plans to bring a memorial to Raleigh. Could open by 22 or 23
Floyd’s family hasn’t chosen a specific site for this beyond this:
But they’re also talking about holding youth engagement events on the “Day of Enlightenment” (May 25, when Floyd was murdered), as well as hosting scholarships. My gut says that is what’ll launch in '22-'23, while the physical center will take longer to get built.
Agreed, to actually open that kind of physical facility in 2022, they would need to go under construction in the next few months, and they don’t even have funding or a location yet.
Nice to hear they are moving forward with plans, even if the schedule seems overly ambitious.