35-W was built in the 1960s, a north-south freeway through Minneapolis. As it approaches from the south, it takes a little jog to the east. If it didn't, it would've been built through the heart of the lakes / mansion district in S Mpls. A district built on illegal redlining. 1/
Instead, it was built through the heart of the Black community in South. A community anchored by 4th Ave S, a community of professionals, doctors, engineers. A community that showed up for every Central High football game. The community of Justice Page and Prince. 2/
The freeway cut the community in half. The resulting changes in school bus routes dried up a lot of the elementary schools that fed into Central. Central closed in the early 1980s. The community lost an anchor. 3/
Of course, 35-W killed property values around it. Families had been leaving. With the high school gone, lots more families moved. In the next couple decades, 4th Ave S would be dubbed crack highway. This is overtly racist, and also an indicator of the impact of 35w placement. 4/
38th and Chicago is 0.6 miles from where 35-W passes under 38th St. It's blocks away from where Tyesha Edwards died in 2002. It's steps from where MPD officers killed George Floyd in 2020. 5/
There's a freeway between 38th and Chicago and the S Mpls lakes / mansion district, a district built on illegal redlining. /end
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