On the Fourth of July, a group of local artists painted four murals on the pavement of Park City’s historic Main Street. Four days later, the Black Lives Matter mural was defaced.
Sometime Tuesday night, someone painted over the word “Black,” leaving just “Lives Matter” still visible. However, the “i” in Lives, which was made out of a Black Power fist, was also covered with gray paint.
Park City Mayor Andy Beerman responded with a statement Wednesday, saying that “bias and racism exist in our community.”
“If we wish to overcome these, we must show courage to look inward, educate ourselves, and hold those around us accountable for their actions, and inaction,” he added. “... We will use this event to further our community dialogue about social inequities.”
The murals, which were intended to serve as messages of solidarity, unity and justice, were a collaborative project spearheaded by the city government and the Park City/Summit County Arts Council. Salt Lake City is soliciting artists for a similar project.
The other Park City murals featured the words “Solidarity” in large block letters, flanked by silhouettes of a Black man and Black woman; “Unity” in the center with the words “peace” and “love” on either side, all framed in colorful geometric patterns; and “Justicia Para Todos” — Spanish for “justice for all” — flanked by images of a hand holding a flame and roses between the words.
The “Black Lives Matter” mural, found between the Treasure Mountain Inn and the Egyptian Theatre, was painted by Samoan-born artist Aljay Fuimaono.
