Last weekend, Greensboro closed down Davie Street to allow Greensboro artist Phillip Marsh to paint the first street mural as part of Creative Greensboro’s Street Mural Program.
It appears that the City Council is in full support of this program, to put art directly on city streets – in this case painting “One Love” on Davie Street beside Center City Park.
But it also appears that the City Council overlooked one of the multitude of ordinances City Councils have passed over the years.
Sec. 26-19 of the City Code of Ordinances states: “It shall be unlawful for any person to write, paint or place upon any of the streets or sidewalks of the city any words, letters, numbers, pictures or advertisements of any kind. This subsection shall not apply to official traffic devices placed there by local authorities.”
The ordinance continues with an exception for “painting of house numbers on street curbs. To do so first you as a property owner and taxpayer must apply for a permit. And the numbers must meet the following conditions:
“(1) Only the house number, not the complete street address may be painted.
(2) The numbers shall not exceed four (4) inches in height.
(3) The numbers must be painted by the use of a template, no freehand lettering being allowed.
(4) The type of numbers shall be Gothic (single-stroke and vertical) and may not be Old English, Old Roman or anything other than numerical numbers.
(5) The paint shall be an approved durable paint and shall be restricted to black and white colors only.”
However, it appears that if the city decides to allow artists to paint the street, the ordinance can be ignored, or at least in this case was ignored.
Greensboro Chief Creative Economy Officer Ryan Deal said that Creative Greensboro worked with the city manager’s office to develop the Street Mural Program and that the City Council was aware of the program but didn’t take any official action.
Assistant City Manager Chris Wilson said, “As the owner of the street we have the right to allow it.”
Wilson said that the process was permitted by the city in a similar fashion to how special events are permitted.
City Councilmember Justin Outling said, “I did not realize there was an ordinance actually prohibiting it.”
He said if the ordinance did apply then “It is appropriate for the city to take action to allow it.”
He added, “My sense is that there is more than sufficient support on council to approve it.”
City Attorney Chuck Watts said that he would check out the ordinance, but if there was not an offended party he didn’t think it was a problem.
Silly John Hammer. You think a woke, unanimously leftist City Council, who hired a woke, leftist City Manager and City Attorney, are going to enforce “racist” and “oppressive” ordinances from decades ago? You think they would bother to even consult to look for them beforehand? Funny.
Asst. City Mgr. Christian Wilson said, “As the OWNER of the street, WE have the right to allow it.” ??? So that’s his and the city council’s attitude? That THEY OWN the street?
I guess I’m getting senile in my old age, but I thought the taxpayers were the one’s that paid for that street, along with all of the City’s employees jobs/salaries/benefits. Being an elected official or being hired by the City does not constitute ‘ownership’ of anything.
How much did this little ‘Art project’ cost Greensboro’s taxpayers? I can think of plenty of streets that need minor/major repairs, but instead our City government decides a mural would serve our citizen’s best interest rather than say…filling a pothole maybe?
Just another example of the running circus we call Government.
The Peoples Committee can do whatever they want. What makes you think they can be held accountable by the rabble. They don’t consider themselves above the law…they ARE the law in their minds
So asst mgr Chris Wilson says they own the street so they have the say? I thought the taxpayers did. Does Wilson speak for all the taxpayers of Greensboro. Politicians are elected to serve us, yes? Maybe it’s the other way around.
Danny!
Come on man, I know you are much too smart to think that anything paid for by extortion victims…I mean taxpayers is actually owned by them and they have a say in it.
Are you drinking that free thinking, conservative Kool Aid again? I’m calling the GSO Thought Police on you. (snark)
If you need someone who is offended, I volunteer. Find some other place for the art. Not in the streets. This will get out of hand as it is currently doing all across the country. I say NIP IT IN THE BUD!
They have been painting in the streets for years, the kids , artist, lots of people, for fun fourth, all the festivities that are done downtown, right in front of the Woolworth building, February 1 is the painting spot, have you been downtown in awhile? For the last 17 years I have lived on SouthSide there has been painting in the street.
Yes they have, but they use chalk which washes away. Years ago the late Street Scene in Winston Salem had a very talented artist come every year, Sidewalk Sam. He did large chalk art images on the sidewalks and streets during the art festival, many depicted famous historical paintings such as ‘The Mona Lisa’. Rain washed them all away, left only to memory.
This is what you get when the council has not one white man on the council.
White men have to work – so they need roads to be open, as they go about their business, creating wealth and paying taxes.
The dear precious jobless people have no need for roads. They just ride their bicycles, or go on protests, or engage in community activism….
Work is anathema to them.
That’s the way the radical left rolls, “rules are for thee and not for me”. BTW, have they torn down the statue yet outside the Police Dept/City Hall of the officer and a kid?
What does “One Love” mean, anyway? I don’t want to smoke a whole spliff just to figure that one out.
why so uptight?
Another thinly veiled, borderline racist comment from the Dinosaur Times.
Oh, puh-lease. What is racist about any of the comments in John’s article? Since the Assist. Manager owns the streets, I am calling him to fix the pothole near my house – he can do it personally. He can also pay for it. I say we all refuse to pay city taxes since we don’t own anything and have no say. I am seriously OFFENDED, Mr. City Attorney!