We are asking the City of Minneapolis to rename Chicago Ave in memory and in honor of our fallen brother, George Floyd.

On May 25, 2020 Minneapolis resident George Floyd died at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department. Our sense of justice was violated in watching the horrific images of his death. The world has now seen the gruesome scene unfold right before our very eyes as Derek Chauvin held his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes.

Second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter charges have been filed against Derek Chauvin. Three other officers (Thomas Lane, Tou Thau, and J Alexander Kueng) at the scene have also been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter.

The atrocious murder of Minneapolis resident George Floyd has been indelibly burned into the memory of people worldwide. We are outraged. We are broken. We are crying out for change.

At the memorial site of George Floyd’s final moments, the community has come together in a galvanizing way. And the most deeply established leaders have come together to form The Coalition for Justice, Peace, & Love. Why Justice, Peace, and Love? The whole world seems to be sending and hearing mixed messages right now. Some cry for justice, while others push for peace, and still others say we should just love one another. These realities should not exist independently from each other or else our vision for change becomes simplistic and short-sighted.

Right now there is an outcry for justice. Justice is essential and we pray that God will give it to us quickly. But justice will not bring George Floyd back. Justice in the present will also not stop the systemic cycle of death and bloodshed in the future. We do not need to put the convulsions of grief and pain on repeat indefinitely: death, outcry,  justice. Death, outcry, justice. We must have peace to build all dimensions of human flourishing. But there can be no peace without justice. And lasting peace will not and cannot grow and increase without the transforming power of love. Only a holistic vision of justice, peace, and love together can bring the lasting change we all long to see in our time. We need justice, peace, and love as the cord of three strands that cannot be broken.