This week's Champaign City Council study session meeting (session report here, video here) revolved around whether or not to move forward with a "Black Lives Matter" street mural similar to those in Washington D.C. and dozens of other cities around the United States in the wake of the George Floyd protests. The News-Gazette had an overview of the meeting here. Excerpt:
Four council members voted to move forward with the street mural — Alicia Beck, Matt Gladney, Clarissa Fourman and Mayor Deb Feinen — while five voted against it — Will Kyles, Greg Stock, Vanna Pianfetti, Tom Bruno and Angie Brix.
“I’m really disappointed,” Beck said. “I’m just shocked.”
Everyone but Fourman voted to move forward with the honorary street sign, which would require a separate vote.
Fourman said if someone wanted to set a study session for another option, she’d welcome that, “but I’m not writing back home to my ancestors about an honorary street sign.”
Kyles said he’s received “mixed feedback” on the mural from the Black community.
“Some of us believe that it’s a great statement,” he said. “But the overwhelming majority of us really want to see not just meaningful dialogue, but meaningful work.”
Full article here. An overview of the mural proposal is available in the study session report here.
After the mural support failed to gain support among the council members there were a series of suggestions and alternatives. Those pushing for more substantive changes and resolutions of systemic issues in our community explained their frustrations at council members in public comments later. There was also a discussion on the facebook page of write-in candidate Justin Micháel Hendrix expanding on those complaints here that included additional feedback from council member Fourman.
The video of the last study session on the mural in October 2020 is available here on the CGTV website. That study session report is available here.
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