Will Merced approve a Black Lives Matter mural? City Council discussion moving forward
The Black Lives Matter movement could soon receive a boost from Merced’s leadership, as some members of the City Council on Monday vocalized support for approving a street mural near Bob Hart Square in downtown Merced.
Still, Monday’s discussion did not come without some council members expressing concerns — and one suggested that murals should also be done to honor other causes.
The 400 foot-long mural, which would display the words “Black Lives Matter” in yellow, will be further discussed by City Council at the Aug. 17 meeting to clarify the project’s scope.
Each of the council members, minus an absent Kevin Blake, said they hope to see the mural move forward after the next meeting. Staff is also working on a policy for future street mural requests, since the city currently does not have one in place.
“I believe we’re behind the times,” Merced resident and NAACP member Jerome Raspberry, who outlined the mural plans to City Council, said of Merced.
Painting the mural, he said, will show where the city stands in terms of the Black Lives Matter movement — which sparked nationally in recent years and gained momentum in part due to the death of George Floyd.
Floyd, an unarmed Black man, died after having a knee placed on his neck by a Minneapolis police officer.
The Merced Arts and Culture Advisory Commission recommended the proposal to City Council after the idea was presented by the NAACP’s Merced chapter, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, WeCed and United Way of Merced County.
Acting as the lead applicant, United Way has applied for a permit to paint the street mural at Canal Street and 16th Street. If approved, the privately funded and volunteer-driven street mural will incur no cost upon the city for its development or maintenance.
Project organizers originally planned to begin street painting in mid to late August, but that may be pushed back due to City Council continuing discussions to the next scheduled meeting.
The proposed project also includes a wall mural in addition to the street mural, which is anticipated to last about nine months on account of wear and tear. The wall mural would be a more permanent design with higher associated maintenance.
Raspberry said an ideal location for the second mural would be right in front of City Hall.
Council comments, concerns
Council member Fernando Echevarria said that while he supports the first mural being specific to Black Lives Matter, he would like the second installation to include people of prominence from other groups and races.
“I hope we can have a place for blue lives matter, brown lives matter, white lives matter and all lives matter,” he said. Echevarria, a former police officer at a college campus, said that “the men in blue have died for many horrible reasons.”
No council members commented on Echevarria’s suggestions, but they did express other concerns.
Although still supportive of the projects, some council members said they worry that approving the Black Lives Matter mural could open up a “slippery slope” for other groups to demand different, possibly unsavory, messages.
“I certainly support allowing this to take place,” said Council member Matthew Serratto of the Black Lives Matter project, but added, “It gets complicated I think at some point.”
Mayor Mike Murphy concurred, noting that he has already been approached by some serious — and some perhaps not serious — requests for other messaging since news of the Black Lives Matter mural spread.
Nearby cities like Fresno have recently welcomed their own city-sponsored Black Lives Matter street murals. Shortly after the large mural went up in Fresno, vandals unsuccessfully attempted to deface the street art.
In Redwood City, a temporary Black Lives Matter mural was approved, but it was then power washed away after another individual requested permission to paint a “MAGA 2020” mural nearby.
Council member Jill McLeod acknowledged the concerns, but said City Council should take the risk and affirm its support for Black lives.
The city’s attorney Phaedra Norton said such challenges would largely be resolved by the city developing its mural policy, which will include the government speech doctrine. City Council has final approval over messages it wants to portray as a government, she noted.
This story was originally published August 5, 2020 at 6:50 AM.
