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George Floyd Square in Minneapolis singles out White people on welcome board: 'Decenter yourself'

Visitors are urged to 'honor the space as a place to connect and grieve' but White people need to pay close attention to 'decenter' and 'come to listen, learn, mourn, and witness.' 'You are here to support, not to be supported,' the sign reads

The George Floyd Square in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where the 46-year-old Black man "took his last breath under the knee of" ex-cop Derek Chauvin comes with its own set of instructions for White people visiting the memorial. In a tweet sharing a photo of the instructions, Fox News's Matt Finn wrote: "White people about to enter George Floyd square are given special instructions."

Floyd died on May 25, 2020, during an arrest for an alleged counterfeit $20 bill. Chauvin, who has now been convicted on all counts, had pressed his knee on Floyd's neck for 9 minutes 12 seconds - a video of which was recorded by bystanders and became the central focus of nationwide protests against police brutality. Following Floyd's death, the intersection E. 38th Street and Chicago Avenue where the incident happened, had been turned into the memorial, with the entrance showcasing a sign that welcomed visitors to "A Sacred Space for Community, Public Grief, and Protest."

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All visitors are urged to "honor the space as a place to connect and grieve as caring humans." But White people need to pay close attention to "decenter" and "come to listen, learn, mourn, and witness," when they visit the memorial. "Remember you are here to support, not to be supported," the sign reminds them. Asked to "contribute to the energy of the space, rather than drain it," all kinds of "processing" must be brought to "other white folks" so that "BIPOC" (an acronym for Black and Indigenous people of color) are exempted from further harm.

White people are also asked to "speak up with compassion" if they see other White people engage in "problematic things." In doing so, they would help "take the burden (off of) Black folks and our siblings or color whenever appropriate." In such situations, their primary motive should be to "engage rather than escalate, so that it can be a learning moment rather than a disruption."

According to Fox News, this memorial is not one of its kind in singling out White people. The entire area has been turned into an "autonomous zone" that has attracted "record levels of violent crime and gun violence to the neighborhood," alleges the outlet. They claim last year's concrete barriers set up to protect protests from traffic have now become a barrier to the zone which has been taken over by armed individuals. The alleged gang has declared authorities unwelcome, while "gang activity, drug dealing and gun violence have disrupted local business operations," declares the conservative outlet.

Finn, who posted a photo of these instructions on Twitter, drew mixed responses, with people claiming, "Wow, insane; this is something else." Others exclaimed "Nothing like trying to stir up more trouble! I can't imagine what would happen if any place had a sign posted with special instructions for black people." Several however argued that this was a "Very respectable sign. Been there myself and it was very healing." Others also defended the sign, noting "Sounds like kind advice for any place of significant historical tragedy. attitude should apply Ground Zero, battlefields, cemeteries, places of great speeches (I have a Dream etc. and tragic places (Dealy Plaza, USS Arizona, the balcony in Memphis... the Dakota.. too many more)."