The Lynn City Council is a democratic institution with 11 elected members who debate and vote on matters they consider to be important to the city. So why has the council turned its back on democracy when it comes to the Black Lives Matter mural conceived by Lynn English High School students?
The One Lynn-One Love organizers were intentional in proposing an Essex Street mural, as it is where the local seats of government and of justice are located.
Students Carlos Prudencio and Damianny Garrido’s proposal has Mayor Thomas M. McGee’s support, as well as endorsements from dozens of organizations and more than 2,000 petition signers.
The Essex Street mural, proposed for its proximity to City Hall and the Lynn District Court, received criticism from Council President Darren Cyr. Instead of giving the mural a formal hearing, Cyr — a candidate for mayor — and Ward 2 Councilor Rick Starbard unveiled their own “Diversity Square” proposal last Friday.
“Diversity Square” is not a new idea: Diversity Plaza is located in Queens, N.Y. But New York City also has Black Lives Matter murals painted or planned in each of the five boroughs.
Proponents of the Essex Street mural summarily rejected the council’s proposal to consign the project to Central Square, where, to quote Cyr, “any other message that you want to put out there” could also be displayed.
As of last Friday, the original mural proposal has yet to find its way onto the council Public Property and Parks committee agenda for formal review.
By contrast, the “Diversity Square” plan is the subject of a committee hearing scheduled for Tuesday at 4:45 p.m.
That lack of balanced review and due process is not only a discredit to the council, it is reminiscent of a thankfully bygone time when elected officials huddled in back rooms, giving a wink and a nod to ideas they favored.
Furthermore, council intransigence over the mural’s location is a point of embarrassment in a city that proudly counts late civil rights warriors Virginia Barton, Abner Darby and Ed Battle among its esteemed citizens.
Cyr and Starbard unveiled their “fair to everybody” proposal as the world’s attention is once again riveted on Minneapolis, where the Officer Derek Chauvin now stands trial for his role in the May 25, 2020 murder of George Floyd.
Floyd’s death sparked demands for racial reckoning nearly as loud as the ones that echoed through American cities 60 years ago. Prudencio, Garrido and other Lynn youth stood up and proposed a detailed plan to help add Lynn’s voice to those demands.
Black Lives Matter is not a slogan. It is a call for self-examination and societal examination intended to ask hard questions about America’s racist history, white privilege, and equity.
Instead of fast-tracking the “Diversity Square” through the council review process, why doesn’t Cyr put the Essex Street Black Lives Matter mural on the council agenda for a formal public hearing, where residents can offer their perspectives on the proposal?