Emotions rise over proposed Merced ‘Black Lives Matter’ mural. Here’s what leaders decided
After an impassioned dialogue over a proposed “Black Lives Matter” mural in downtown Merced, the City Council decided late Monday night the project was too politically charged for the city.
The council voted 5-2, with the majority voting against moving forward with the proposed mural.
Council members Anthony Martinez and Jill McLeod cast the lone votes in support of establishing the street mural.
Imagined as a 400 foot-long mural, it would have displayed the words “Black Lives Matter” in large yellow letters.
The Merced Arts and Culture Advisory Commission recently 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.
The United Way applied for a permit to paint the street mural in an area near Canal and 16th streets. The mural would have been privately funded and volunteer-driven, with no cost incurred by the city for its development or maintenance.
But in the weeks since the proposal was first introduced at the Aug. 3 Merced City Council meeting, residents on both sides of the debate made their voices heard on the matter.
A notable 82 voicemails and 115 emails were submitted prior to the public comment deadline for Monday’s remote meeting. Mayor Mike Murphy noted the messages contained a “tremendous” level of opposition to the project.
In many ways, the multitude of views expressed Monday were illustrative of the extreme divide that exists between Americans on topics of race, law enforcement and politics.
“I have received more emails in opposition of this project than I have ever received,” said Councilmember Fernando Echevarria, in voting against the project. Echevarria said he would be in favor of a message that was “less controversial” with “a better title, acronym for it.”
“It’s a hot issue, we have to be careful with this,” he said.
Councilmember Matthew Serratto said he would be in favor of a message that would unite Merced residents across ethnic and political lines. “Change the tone, change the message. Instead of both sides tearing each other down, let’s hold each other up. Let’s support each other. If we can find a way to do that, I am all for it,” Serratto said.
In contrast, Martinez said the location of the mural would have been relatively inconspicuous. Plus, he noted that area would likely be remodeled in a few years time anyway.
“Big picture-wise, it really just gives young people an avenue to do something they think is positive. Would other people get offended? Well, I am sure, obviously you saw passions run high. But I would say these people aren’t out to hurt anybody,” Martinez said.
Martinez acknowledged he was also discouraged after hearing many of the voicemails people left against the project. He blamed media and internet rumors for inflaming the passions of many on the issue.
“A lot of these emails and a lot of the public outcry that I have been hearing, it has some sort of false information in it, whether it’s a misconception about who’s running this project, or whether it’s a misconception about city funds,” he said.
“There is a lot of misinformation, disinformation, and none of it helps us grow as a city. And I feel like as council members, it’s on us to stand up to this. We have to educate our community, especially when we feel like they are being deceived.”
While Councilmember McLeod ultimately voted for the project, she too acknowledged having lingering questions. “I honestly really believe that Black lives matter and that the sentiment is genuine and has a place,” she said.
“However the political speech may not (have a place) as a city, as a governmental entity. And that worries me, that how do we make that distinction and express support for equality as a governmental group and agency without inciting more violence toward the very group we’re trying to support? So I have a lot of questions about how we move forward with this.”
The proposal for the mural comes after months of protests in Merced and other cities over how law enforcement agencies interact with communities of color.
Protests erupted nationwide and in Merced in June after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Floyd died May 25 in police custody after an officer pinned him the ground with a knee to the back of his neck.
Like many protesters nationwide, those at Merced gatherings in the wake of Floyd’s death have called for government reforms to hold wrongful officers accountable for their actions, plus prevent incidents of excessive force from happening.
Late night discussion
Monday’s discussion took place via video conference. The item was further down on the council agenda, and thus the discussion went well past midnight.
The voicemails left by residents were played during the meeting, and took about an hour for the council to listen to.
Some residents said supporting the proposed mural would lead to a slippery slope for any group or organization to use city property to get their message across.
“If you were to do that, then I would petition the city that I would like to have a road where I can put MAGA 2020 or Trump 2020, because that’s my political affiliation,” said Merced resident Maria Gonzalez in a voicemail.
Many critics of the proposal called for an “All Lives Matter” mural instead.
Other comments expressed misconceptions about the project being paid for by Merced residents’ tax dollars — even though it was slated to be funded through local private partnerships.
Some comments also tried to paint those behind the mural as being militant radicals, although Councilmember Serratto dismissed such notions.
“The people who are proposing this are good, solid members of this community. They are absolutely some of the most peaceful people you will ever want to know,” Serratto said.
“These are not Marxist, violent radicals bringing this forward. These are good, solid, contributing members of this community. People I consider my friends. We don’t always agree on everything — we don’t have to agree on everything. But they are good people.”
Public comments in support of the mural described it as a symbolic gesture of support for Merced’s Black community. “This mural does not represent the change we have fought for,” said Bertha Perez, a candidate for District 3 City Council. “Current and future council members should view this as the bare minimum.”
But comments like that were often overshadowed by vehement disapproval.
NAACP member Jerome Raspberry, who presented the project at the meeting, told City Council he received an influx of messages from community members bashing the mural — some of which contained racial slurs. “That shows we are not where we need to be,” Raspberry said.
Advocates for the mural said it would show where Merced stands in terms of supporting Black lives amid the national outcry sparked by the deaths of those like Floyd.
“All lives matter is just dismissing the fact that the African American population in our country is oppressed . . . and will continue to be oppressed because of this systemic hatred toward the Black population,” said Manuel Alvarado, CEO of United Way.
Alvarado said Black Lives Matter is a bipartisan humanitarian effort that’s been twisted by its detractors into a controversial and politicized movement.
While a partnership with the city was hoped for, Alvarado said the project will move forward in a different capacity without the city’s participation.
After Serratto proposed changing the mural’s words to something less controversial, project organizers balked at that suggestion. “I believe this is the phrase that needs to be said at this moment in time,” Raspberry said.
Council members Kevin Blake and Delray Shelton each continued to support the sentiment of the mural’s words, but disagreed with using a public street as a “messaging board.”
Shelton and Blake both said they would be supportive of a mural honoring Black Mercedians like Merced Police Officer Stephan Gray, who was killed in the line of duty, or former Merced mayor Sam Pipes.
Shelton said he would also be supportive of a project that represents all of the city’s diverse cultures.
This story was originally published August 18, 2020 at 6:30 AM.
