By Associated Press
Black lives matter fence (screen grab, Facebook)
City officials in West St. Paul are demanding a man remove a colorful Black Lives Matter mural from his fence because it violates code.
Ryan Weyandt commissioned the mural for his wooden fence last summer, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Friday. The mural contains the words “Black Lives Matter” and bears the face of 2020 mayor candidate Kimetha Johnson, the first Black person to run for municipal office in the city’s history.
City spokesman Dan Nowicki said an ordinance prohibits pictures or letters on fences and requires fences to be one color. He said the city has received more than 20 complaints about the mural since September.
Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio, The New York Times
Published: 11 Apr 2021 08:40 AM BdST
Updated: 11 Apr 2021 08:40 AM BdST Guillermo Maldonado Pérez with his daughter Lourdes, 7, by a fence painted with a Black Lives Matter mural, in West St Paul, Minn, on April 10, 2021. The New York Times
The colourful mural adorned with hearts, a portrait of a local activist and the words “Black Lives Matter” stands out at a busy intersection in West St Paul, Minnesota, a community nestled against the Twin Cities. It is a cherished symbol for many Black residents, a site of reflection and pride. );
}
But the city says it must go.
City wants man to remove Black Lives Matter mural from fence
April 10, 2021
FacebookTwitterEmail
WEST ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) City officials in West St. Paul are demanding a man remove a colorful Black Lives Matter mural from his fence because it violates code.
Ryan Weyandt commissioned the mural for his wooden fence last summer, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Friday. The mural contains the words “Black Lives Matter” and bears the face of 2020 mayor candidate Kimetha Johnson, the first Black person to run for municipal office in the city s history.
City spokesman Dan Nowicki said an ordinance prohibits pictures or letters on fences and requires fences to be one color. He said the city has received more than 20 complaints about the mural since September.