After George Floyd’s Murder, a Minneapolis Church Builds Community

George Floyd Mural (Credit: Lorie Shaull/flickr) & A member of Calvary Lutheran Church says they’ve learned to be “gentle with each other so we can be dangerous together.” & This article was originally published on& Word In Black. & By Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware & May 25, 2024, marks four years since& George Floyd was murdered& — on May 25, 2020 — by white former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Chauvin, who was found guilty of second-degree murder in April 2021, rested his body weight on Floyd’s neck as Floyd cried out, “I can’t breathe.” Chauvin stayed there for 9 ½ minutes until Floyd died. Floyd’s murder happened outside the Cup Food Store at East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in the Powderhorn Park neighborhood of Minneapolis. Just a block away, at 39th Street and Chicago Avenue, stands Calvary Lutheran Church, whose pastor is Hans Lee.& Little did the congregation know how this moment in history would catapult them into a central role in the transformation of their neighborhood. Word in Black spoke with Shari Seifert, a member of Calvary who allowed herself to be swept up into the emerging community that has become George Floyd Square, a gathering place...