Police removed artwork and signs from a memorial for George Floyd outside the site of Derek Chauvin’s trial

• Community members created a memorial to George Floyd in Minneapolis this week.
• Signs and artwork were added to a fence where Derek Chauvin stands trial for Floyd's death.
• But protesters confronted police as the memorial pieces were removed on Friday.
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A memorial display for George Floyd and others killed by police popped up outside the courthouse where Derek Chauvin is standing trial for Floyd's murder. But police and security crews removed the tributes Friday.

Members of the community had placed artwork, signs, and trinkets on a temporary fence set up around the Government Center in downtown Minneapolis in remembrance of Floyd and others killed by police.

Some signs placed on the fence read "Black lives matter" and an art piece featured "We have nothing to lose but our chains" painted on a mirror.

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There were flowers placed in the fence, as well as locks attached to it that had the names of people killed by police written on them, the Sahan Journal reported.

In addition to Floyd, there were illustrations of Breonna Taylor, who was shot by police in Louisville, Kentucky, in March 2020, and Philando Castile, who was killed by an officer during a traffic stop in Minnesota in 2016.

Protesters confronted law enforcement who were standing guard while the tributes were removed. Photos showed security breaking the locks off the fence with a bolt cutter.

Chauvin, whose trial started Monday, is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter for Floyd's death.

Floyd died on May 25, 2020 after Chauvin, then an officer with the Minneapolis Police Department, knelt on his neck for several minutes as Floyd said he couldn't breathe.

Floyd's death sparked a summer of racial justice protests in the US and around the world.

The first week of Chauvin's trial included 19 witnesses, and there could end up being more than 300, Insider's Haven Orecchio-Egresitz reported. The trial is expected to take at least a month.