House Members of Progressive ‘Squad’ Grab More than $220 Million of Earmarks Since 2023

Rep. Rashida Tlaib and Rep. Ilhan Omar standing in front of the US capitol (composite image)

Members of the “Squad” of progressive lawmakers in the House of Representatives, including Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., wrangled more than $220 million worth of earmarks included in spending bills since the start of fiscal year 2023, according to a watchdog group.

“These eight members, up from 6 last year, have put almost $220 million worth of earmarks into the last two years of congressional spending packages, for causes like environmental justice, diversity, and immigration assistance,” read a new report from OpenTheBooks.com.

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Businesses in Minneapolis Sue City over Lack of Policing

George Floyd Square

Multiple businesses located in the so-called “George Floyd Square” in Minneapolis have filed lawsuits against the city government for failing to properly police the area and prevent crime.

As the Daily Caller reports, the lawsuit was filed in mid-November by businesses in the area where George Floyd died of a fentanyl overdose while in police custody in May of 2020, which sparked nationwide race riots that resulted in the looting and destruction of hundreds of small businesses. The plaintiffs, who have stated that “the area lacks police protection,” are seeking $1.5 million in damages.

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Minneapolis Residents Plan ‘Pilgrimage’ to George Floyd Square

Two Minneapolis neighborhood organizations are inviting residents to participate in a “pilgrimage to George Floyd Square” along with a visit to the nearby “Say Their Names” cemetery.

George Floyd Square is the name given to 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, the intersection where Floyd died in May 2020. The intersection, officially recognized as “George Perry Floyd Square” by the city of Minneapolis last year, is revered by left-wing activists as a “sacred space” where baptisms and even “miracles” have taken place.

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Minneapolis Opens ‘Parklet’ at George Floyd Square

Minneapolis installed a mini park at the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago, the location of George Floyd Square where George Floyd was killed by former police officer Derek Chauvin. According to the city, the seasonal spaces, or parklets, are designed to slow nearby traffic and to provide an area for seating, flowers and greenery, bicycle parking, and art for the public to enjoy.

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Protests Erupt in Minneapolis Following Removing Barriers at George Floyd Square and Officer Involved Shooting

George Floyd Square

Riots and protests broke out on Thursday after city officials began taking apart George Floyd Square to reopen the section for traffic. At the same time, a wanted man was killed in an officer involved shooting. 

Protests had already been occurring at George Floyd Square where workers were busy dismantling barriers and opening the roads again for traffic. There was pushback from those who were there protesting and some barriers were replaced.

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The City of Minneapolis Begins Reopening George Floyd Square

George Floyd Square

According to Fox News, the City of Minneapolis began removing barriers and trying to reopen the intersection on Thursday, after over a year of the section of street being occupied by protesters. 

George Floyd Square, which has been occupied by protesters since the death of George Floyd in May 2020, was “a makeshift shrine and focus of protests” and “a semi-autonomous, pedestrian territory symbolizing community resistance.”

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Residents Complain About Lack of Police in Minneapolis

Minneapolis Police Department

Nearly a year after the death of George Floyd, prompting calls from activists and Democrat leaders to defund the police, residents of Minneapolis are complaining that police won’t respond to their calls. 

“George Floyd Square has been a place for mourning and healing for the thousands who pay a visit,” WCCO reported. “But for the people who live there, once night falls, they say it becomes a place where lawlessness abounds.”

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‘George Floyd Square’ Singles Out White People with Special Instructions for Behavior

George Floyd Memorial Square

The intersection where George Floyd died of a fentanyl overdose, which has since been converted into an informal memorial, has signs posted with special instructions for how White people are supposed to behave in the area, according to Fox News.

Having since been unofficially renamed “George Floyd Square,” the intersection of E. 38th Street and Chicago Avenue has become the epicenter for Black Lives Matter and other far-left protests, with numerous memorials built to Floyd and other black people who have allegedly been murdered by police. At one of the entrances to the area, a sign has been erected declaring it to be “a sacred space for community, public grief, and protest.” The sign also falsely claims that Floyd “took his last breath under the knee of” Officer Derek Chauvin, even though footage revealed that Chauvin’s knee was actually on Floyd’s back and shoulder blade, not his neck.

Further down, the sign contains special instructions for how White people are to act upon entering the area. White people, the sign says, are to “decenter” and “come to listen, learn, mourn, and witness. Remember you are here to support, not be supported.” The sign goes on to order White people to “contribute to the energy of the space, rather than drain it,” providing no specifics on how exactly this is supposed to be done.

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Police Group Urges Minneapolis Leaders to Take Action on Autonomous Zone

The National Police Association (NPA) is calling on the city of Minneapolis to attend to its residents who live in or near the “autonomous zone” located at George Floyd Square.

“What the neighbors are saying, in the residential area, is that after darkness falls, criminals are using it to freely commit crimes, deal drugs, things like that, and they’re extremely frustrated,” NPA spokeswoman Betsy Brantner Smith, a retired sergeant, said in an interview with Fox News.

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Reporters Barred from Deadly ‘George Floyd’ Autonomous Zone in Minneapolis

Protestors have quietly set up an “autonomous zone” near the George Floyd memorial in Minneapolis, according to one reporter who visited the scene. 

“The George Floyd memorial is an ‘autonomous zone’ with several blocks controlled by activists. Police don’t even go in. We tried to respectfully get video-but left after two people confronted us near the barricades. Later learned many protestors don’t even feel comfortable there,” Brian Entin of News Nation Now reported. 

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