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| Location | Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States |
|---|---|
| Address | 38th and Chicago |
| Website | official website |
Cup Foods is a retail market store and restaurant in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States that is located at the intersection of East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue. The store's origin in the south Minneapolis area dates back to 1989. It drew controversy over the ensuring decades for being the location of illicit activities and police surveillance. On May 25, 2020, George Floyd made a purchase there with a counterfeit $20 bill, resulting in his murder while under police custody and initiating a global protest movement about police brutality.
History
Retail market
The Cup Foods first opened in 1989 as a a combination grocery store, convenience store, and restaurant in the Powderhorn community in Minneapolis. The store, owned by a Palestinian-American family, became a fixture in the neighborhood for the ensuing decades. The area around the store had also been the location of violent crime, illicit drug dealing, loitering, and undercover police surveillance since the 1990s.
In 2000, the city temporarily shut the store down for several months after recovering stolen electronics, ammunition, and materials for illicit drugs inside Cup Foods–leading to a constant police presence around the property. For many of the store's customers in the neighborhood, it provided fresh produce, prepared food, and commodities such as cigarettes and pre-paid cellphone minutes.
Murder of George Floyd
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, an unarmed Black man was murdered by Derek Chauvin, a White officer with the Minneapolis police department. Floyd was on his neck by Chauvin's knee for 9 minutes and 29 seconds while he struggled to breathe and eventually died.
Though Floyd lived 20 minutes away from the store in the nearby suburb of St. Louis Park, he was a frequent customer there. Bystander videos of Floyd's death and other events that followed, linked the store to the protest of racial injustice in the United States.
Floyd's death also led to further scrutiny of the store and its relationship with the Minneapolis police and its off-duty police officers who were known to provide paid security services.
Closure and re-opening
Cup Foods closed temporarily during the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis–Saint Paul and resulting unrest.
In August 2020, the reopening of the Cup Foods convenience store, which a 9-1-1 call from an employee led to the fatal encounter between Floyd and Minneapolis police, generated controversy. Some protesters demanded that the store remain closed for continued mourning and confronted store owners who vowed to keep the store open anyway.
Among public conversation about how to evolve the street intersection space into a permanent memorial, some activists circulated petitions to permanently close the store.
References
- ^ Bogel-Burroughs, Nicholas and Healy, Jack (15 June 2020). "Cup Foods, a Minneapolis Corner Store Forever Tied to the Death of George Floyd". New York Times. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
- ^ Sidner, Sara (2021-04-10). "Inside Cup Foods, where it seems George Floyd never left". CNN. Retrieved 2021-04-10.
- ^ Pruni, Analise (12 August 2020). "CUP Foods: Good neighbor or bad?". Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.
- Forliti, Amy; Karnowski, Steve; Webber, Tammy (April 5, 2021). "Police chief: Kneeling on Floyd's neck violated policy". Star Tribune. Associated Press. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
- Levenson, Eric (March 29, 2021). "Former officer knelt on George Floyd for 9 minutes and 29 seconds -- not the infamous 8:46". CNN. Archived from the original on March 29, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- Otárola, Miguel (4 August 2020). "Cup Foods, site where George Floyd was killed, reopens in south Minneapolis". Star Tribune.