This Minneapolis Street Is a Growing List of People Killed by Police

Artist Mari Hernandez has painted names on Chicago Avenue, a block from George Floyd’s Killing
The list of names painted on Chicago Avenue keeps growing as more people send names
The list of names painted on Chicago Avenue keeps growing as more people send names

Lianna Matt McLernon

In Washington D.C., a new mural graces the street outside the White House. It is ceremonially named Black Lives Matter Plaza, with yellow letters spelling the phrase on the pavement. In south Minneapolis, there is also a street mural project in the works with a similar message.

Along Chicago Avenue not far from Cup Foods, where a police officer put his knee on George Floyd’s neck as part of an arrest turned fatal, more names of those killed by police are being added.

About a week after Floyd’s death, Aaron Lavinsky of the Star Tribune captured an aerial photo of the list when it had 47 names on it.

Painted by local Mari Hernandez, it is not intended as a photo op, but more a call to action. “What I would like people to do at the space is to care a lot less about taking pictures, instead say their names, say George’s name,” Hernandez writes in a private Facebook post. “The trauma tourism is gross. If you’re gonna come bring something to pay your respects and celebrate life, or at least some hand sanitizer and masks.”

This list keeps growing as more people send pass along names and paint.

Between June 2 and June 4, Mari Hernandez painted 34 more names to the list running down Chicago Avenue
Between June 2 and June 4, Mari Hernandez painted 34 more names to the list running down Chicago Avenue

Lianna Matt McLernon

The following contains some of the names from Hernandez’s list (as of Lavinsky’s photo) as well as some information about how they died. Between June 2 and June 4, 34 more people have been added as people continue to send Hernandez names and paint.

George Floyd, 46, died after being handcuffed and restrained with a knee on his neck for almost nine minutes in Minneapolis on May 25. The officers involved are facing charges.

Jamar Clark, 24, was shot and died during an altercation with the police in Minneapolis on November 15, 2015. The officers were not charged.

Philando Castile, 32, was shot and died in his car after being pulled over by the police in Minneapolis on Jul 6, 2016. The officer was found not guilty of second-degree manslaughter.

Tamir Rice, 12, was shot and died while holding an airsoft pistol near a recreation center in Cleveland, Ohio, on November 22, 2014. The officer who killed him was fired three years later because of, according to PBS, “inaccuracies on his application form.”

Eric Garner, 43, died after an officer put him in a chokehold that continued on even after Garner repeatedly said, “I can’t breathe” in New York City on July 17, 2014. No charges were pressed, but the officer was fired.

Sandra Bland, 28, was found hanged in jail in Waller County, Texas, on July 13, 2015, after being arrested during a traffic stop in Waller County, Texas, three days earlier. The officer who pulled her over was indicted for perjury, which was dismissed when he promised to never work in law enforcement again. Her death made viral the #SayHerName movement by the African American Policy Forum; they wanted to  highlight the black women who have been victimized by racial profiling and police brutality.

Ahmaud Arbery, 25, was shot and died when he was jogging in Satilla Shores, Georgia, on February 23, 2020. Three Georgia men (not law enforcement) are charged, with a preliminary hearing set for June 4.

Breonna Taylor, 26, was shot and died in her home during a “no-knock” search for illegal drugs in Louisville, Kentucky, on March 13, 2020. The FBI is currently investigating the shooting, and the involved police officers are on administrative reassignment.

Alton Sterling, 37, was shot and died while selling CDs outside a Triple S Food Mart in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, during a police altercation on July 15, 2016. The two involved officers were not charged.

Freddie Gray, 25, died from spinal injuries that happened while in police custody in Baltimore on April 12, 2015. The six officers involved will face no federal charges.

Ralph Bell, 24, went missing for three months and was found, dead, in Roseville on March 22, 2019. The Ramsey County medical examiner determined it to be death by suicide.

Michael Brown, 18, was shot and died during an altercation with a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, on August 9, 2014. While “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” came out of his death, the Justice Department concluded that Brown did not say that. The officer resigned but did not face any charges.

Laquan McDonald, 17, was shot and died during a police altercation in Chicago on October 20, 2014. The officer was charged with first-degree murder bit found guilty of second-degree murder.

Brian Quinones, 30, was shot and killed after being pulled over for reckless driving in Richfield on September 7, 2019. The officers were not charged.

Walter Scott, 50, was shot and died after being stopped for a broken taillight in North Charleston, South Carolina, on April 4, 2015. The officer was found guilty of second-degree murder and obstruction of justice.

Trayvon Martin, 17, was shot and died by the neighborhood watch coordinator in Sanford, Florida, on February 26, 2012. His death began the Black Lives Matter movement. The man who killed him was tried for second-degree murder; he was found not guilty.

John Crawford III, 22, was shot and died during an altercation with a police officer inside a Walmart while holding a pellet rifle in Beavercreek, Ohio, on August 5, 2014. The officer was not indicted.

Steven Demarco Taylor, 33, was tasered, shot, and then died during a police altercation that started when Taylor did not comply when ordered to put down a baseball bat inside Walmart in San Leandro, California, on April 18. According to the Sacramento Bee article, written on April 23, the involved officers are on administrative leave.

Terrance Franklin, 22, was shot and died during a police altercation in Minneapolis on May 10, 2013. None of the five involved officers were charged or disciplined by the police department.

Stephon Clark, 22, was shot and died during a police altercation in his grandmother’s backyard in Sacramento on March 18, 2018. The officers involved were not charged.

Antwon Rose, 17, was shot and died as he was fleeing a traffic stop in East Pittsburgh on June 19, 2018. The officer was acquitted of all charges.

Sean Reed, 21, was shot and died after officers pulled him over for reckless driving in Indianapolis on May 6, 2020. The officer is currently on administrative leave, and according to the Time article, on May 8, the mayor asked the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI to monitor the investigation.

Ariane McCree, 28, was shot and died during an altercation with police after shoplifting at a Walmart in Chester, South Carolina, on November 23, 2019. According to a lawsuit filed by the family in February, McCree wasn’t charged for the lock he purchased, returned to the store to notify the employees, and was later shot while handcuffed. The officers were placed on administrative leave, and the state’s attorney general’s office cleared them of charges in an announcement on March 20.

Darius Tarver, 23, was shot and died during a police altercation at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas, on January 21. The officer is still on the force and has not been charged.

Devon Bailey, 19, was shot and died after a police altercation in Colorado Springs on August 3, 2019. The officers were not charged.

Larry Jackson Jr., 32, was shot and died after an altercation with a police detective in Austin, Texas, on July 26, 2013. The detective was indicted for manslaughter, but the charge was dropped.

Nekeya Moody, 37, passed away in St. Paul on February 10. There are currently no news reports on what happened.

Alfred Abuka Sanders, 29, was shot and died after a police altercation in Minneapolis on November 1, 2000. His death inspired the Communities United Against Police Brutality (CUAPB) group. “Several actions were held, but these did not result in justice for the wife and children Abuka left behind,” an FAQ written by the CUAPB writes.

Phue Lee. There are currently no news reports on what happened.

Cordale Handy, 29, was shot and died when police were called to the scene after someone called in a report of domestic violence in St. Paul on March 15, 2017. The officers were not charged.

Phil Quinn, 30, was shot and died after a police altercation after his fiance and his mother called the police and 911, respectively, after Quinn had committed self harm and locked himself in his garage. The officers were not charged.

Ezell Ford, 25, was shot and died during a police altercation in Los Angeles on August 11, 2014. The officers were not charged.

Dante Parker, 36, was tased and died after being taken into police custody on August 12, 2014. The officer was not charged.

Tycel Nelson, 17, was shot and died during an altercation with the police at a party in Minneapolis on December 1, 1990. The officer involved received no charges and was awarded the department’s medal of valor in 2006; he returned it due to community unrest.

George Mann, 35, died in police custody in Stone Mountain, Georgia, on July 11, 2015.

Akai Gurley, 28, was shot and died (allegedly by accident) by an officer in Brooklyn, New York on November 20, 2014. The officer was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide.

Michelle Cusseaux, 50, was shot and died after a police altercation that began with a mental illness pick-up in Phoenix on August 14, 2014. The officer was demoted.

Tanisha Anderson, 37, died after being subdued outside her family’s house and taken into police custody in Cleveland, Ohio, on November 13, 2014. One officer involved received a 10-day suspension without pay and the other received a written warning.

Rumain Brisbon, 34, was shot and died during a police altercation in front of his girlfriend and toddler in Phoenix on December 2, 2014. The officer was not charged.

Matthew Ajibade, 21, was taken into police custody, strapped to a chair, tased, and died in Savannah, Georgia, on January 1, 2015. The officer was convicted of cruelty to an inmate, which was one month in jail that he could serve on weekends; others involved received lesser punishments.

Isak Aden, 23, was shot and died in a police altercation in Eagan on July 2, 2019. The officers were not charged.

Fong Lee, 19, was shot and died during a police altercation in Minneapolis on July 22, 2006. The officer was exonerated.

Jerame Reid, 36, was shot and died during a traffic stop in Bridgeton, New Jersey on December 30, 2014. The officers were not charged.

Frank Smart, 39, died in jail in Pittsburgh on January 5, 2015. The family settled in a wrongful death suit against the jail infirmary manager, warden, and Allegheny County.

Natasha McKenna, 37, was tased in police custody and died five days later in Fairfax, Virginia, on February 8, 2015. There were no charges.

Anthony Hill, 26, was shot and died by an officer when someone in Hill’s neighborhood called the police to report a man suffering from mental illness symptoms in Chamblee, Georgia, on March 9, 2015. According to CNN, the jury found the officer “guilty of aggravated assault, making a false statement, and two counts of violation of oath, but acquitted him on two felony murder charges.”

David McAtee, 53, was shot and died when police were trying to disperse a large crowd near McAtee’s streetside barbecue spot in Louisville, Kentucky, on June 1. The officers are currently on administrative leave pending the investigation.

Below is a chart designed by St. Paul-native Rachel Wilson talking about how you can support the protests whether you feel comfortable walking the streets or not. Even as change begins—the State of Minnesota filed a human rights complaint against the Minneapolis Police Department, the ACLU is suing Minneapolis, and all four officers are now charged—there is still much to do, so make sure to check out some of the resources Minnesota Monthly has compiled.

Black Lives Matter flow graph, courtesy Rachel W
Local Rachel Wilson created this chart as a resource in response to the protests. For more information, check out her full public Facebook post.

Rachel Wilson