Plans to install a “Black Lives Matter” street mural in downtown Phoenix have been delayed after members of the Transportation, Infrastructure and Innovation Subcommittee requested to withdraw discussion of the project at Wednesday’s meeting. The proposal for the street mural will be reviewed in a private city council executive session.
City Council members are expected to receive legal advice from city attorneys in regards to the mural during that session. This meeting will be closed to the public and no official action will be taken in regards to the mural. The next steps after the executive session are to be determined.
The proposed street mural would be painted downtown, near the Talking Stick Resort Arena. The design features civil rights icons Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., former U.S. Rep. John Robert Lewis and César Estrada Chávez. The letters that spell out “Black Lives Matter” would appear in red, green and black.
For Gizette Knight, a community organizer and leader of the mural project, the mural represents unity and inclusiveness.
“These men are powerful and create a powerful image. They revered each other and stood for equality and unity,” Knight said.
The colors of the mural are also an especially important aspect in this mural’s installation.
“Red represents the blood shed for liberation. Green represents the wealth of Africa. Black represents the ancestry of the African American community,” Knight said. “These are the African American colors.”
Amy McClelland is the primary artist on the project and specializes in portraits. She also has experience in painting murals. She has volunteered her efforts for this mural and said “it’s that important to (her).”
Knight has spent months working on the mural with the Phoenix Street Transportation Department. For her, it’s important that this mural is painted in the street rather than the side of a building
“If it’s on the street, it shows that the city is standing in solidarity with its African American community,” Knight said.
Currently, the installation of murals in public rights-of-way is not permitted by the city and is primarily due to safety concerns.
Knight has been meeting with Streets staff, including Director Kini L. E. Knudson, once a week for the past month to work through these concerns.
“Our number one priority has always been safety,” Knight said. “This has never been done in Phoenix before, so we had to figure out how we could make this happen and make it safe.”
The department also advised Knight on the location, size and estimated cost of the mural. After working through the details, the mural was introduced to the subcommittee as part of a street mural pilot program. This means if the mural is eventually approved by City Council, it will act as the blueprint for laying other street murals in the future.
Knight originally approached Mayor Kate Gallego with her idea for the street mural. Gallego directed Knight to Councilwoman Laura Pastor, who previously collaborated with the department to create a Non-Standard Crosswalk Marking Program.
The subcommittee withdrew the mural from Wednesday’s agenda and Pastor declined to comment.
“The item that was supposed to come to subcommittee was about the process of allowing street murals, but it has become politicized and has become about Black Lives Matter,” a representative from Pastor’s office said.
The mural has seen plenty of political opposition prior to this meeting.
Councilman Sal DiCiccio made clear his disapproval of the mural on Twitter and said he would oppose the mural if it came to a City Council vote. Councilwoman Debra Stark also voiced her opposition to the mural, saying in a statement that there are “more appropriate locations for murals than city streets.”
Nicole Garcia, a candidate running for Phoenix City Council’s 3rd District in November, said the mural will create chaos and division.
“If this mural goes down, it will be the center of rioting and looting. People are afraid for their families because they think Antifa is going to come to their neighborhoods. That’s not going to fly in my district,” Garcia said.
Further opposition comes from Black Lives Matter Phoenix Metro, an organization committed to advancing the BLM movement in the Phoenix area. Miriam A., one of the organization’s policy ministers, believes the street mural is an empty gesture. Miriam declined to give her last name, fearing that she would be tracked down.
“Black people don’t want a mural painted, we want our communities changed,” Miriam said. She wants city councilors to vote on something more substantial, like policy change, that will improve black communities.
Knight and McClelland have little concern for this opposition.
“People may threaten us, but I have to have the courage to go and paint this,” McClelland said.
Contact the reporter at eccarman@asu.edu.
