(L-R) Dr. Byron Green-Calisch, St Pete Pride president, St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch and City Council Chair Copley Gerdes Aug. 25. (Photo via City of St. Pete/Facebook)
ST. PETERSBURG | Local leaders gathered Aug. 25 at City Hall to address the Florida Department of Transportation’s forthcoming removal of the city’s Pride and Black History street murals.
FDOT officially denied St. Petersburg’s request to save five local street murals Aug. 22, installations that include the Grand Central District’s Progressive Pride street mural, installed in partnership with St Pete Pride, and the Black History Matters mural, located at the Woodson African American Museum.
Mayor Ken Welch was joined by City Council Chair Copley Gerdes and St Pete Pride President Dr. Byron Green-Calisch. Each discussed their continued commitment to ensuring St. Petersburg remains a welcoming city for all.
“When I’m asked why I’ve chosen to serve in local government for the entirety of my service in elected office, the answer is simple,” Welch began. “It’s because local government is closest to the people.
“This is where we can make the greatest impact on our community’s quality of life, where we can intentionally focus our work to create a stronger, more equitable, inclusive community based on our shared values as a community,” he continued. “So it is always troubling when state or federal politicians attempt to usurp our local values and priorities and instead mandate what our values should be.”
The mayor noted they were gathered “to address the latest example of politically inspired state preemption, the ban on our painted street murals.”
In denying St. Petersburg’s official request to save the murals, FDOT noted that while the city could request an administrative proceeding on the matter, they would “not be allowed” to remain. Welch addressed this, noting that the department had threatened “penalties that would jeopardize millions of dollars in state transportation funding … in a fight that I don’t believe we can win.”
“But make no mistake, this is not the end of the story,” Welch noted. “Our response will be strategic, not reactionary … It will serve us better in the long run to be strategic for our community.
“We will build back stronger and we will create new, even more powerful expressions of who we are, expressions that cannot be erased,” the mayor continued. “The state can remove the paint from our streets. They can remove those symbols, but they cannot bind the spirit of the City of St. Petersburg or silence our voice when we say ‘We Are St. Pete.’”
Gerdes spoke next. He noted that being strategic is “reminding ourselves there is much more to come with this story.”
“These murals are just one of the ways we outwardly display our culture, our history and our true values,” he said. “No one can take these things away that we hold so dearly here in the City of St Petersburg … we are going to continue to find new and innovative ways to show our history, our culture and who we are.”
Green-Calisch followed, highlighting the resilience of LGBTQ+ pioneer Marsha P. Johnson and the community at large.
“I recognize that this moment feels heavy,” he said, highlighting that Pulse’s memorial crosswalk had been removed and more.
“St Pete Pride as a community, we are not going anywhere. Queer people have existed. Black folk have existed. Students have been a part of the change for social justice for years,” he noted. “We want to continue to fight and show up, but I am reminded by our founding documents that ‘we the people’ give consent to the governor. How we show up in this moment is way more important than in any other time in our history about fighting back and saving art and saving visual representations of inclusion.”
Welch also encouraged residents to visit the murals before they are removed to show their impact on the city will remain. He also cautioned the community to “obey the law” and not “take the bait.”
“Be smart about how we take these next steps, and keep an eye out for next steps: flags, banners and installations that will carry these messages of inclusion and diversity to every corner of our community,” Welch said. “… Together, we will continue to build a St. Pete that is resilient, inclusive and true to the values that make us who we are.”
View the full press conference below:
A local coalition originally created to save the city’s street murals has also announced their next steps. Now known as Stand Up St. Pete, they will hold a demonstration at the Progressive Pride street mural Aug. 31 to chalk inclusive messages throughout the area.
“You can take over our streets, but our story will not, and cannot, be erased,” the group noted. Read more here and below:
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