SOUTHINGTON, CT — Plans to paint over a mural in town created to celebrate diversity and unity in Southington has touched a raw nerve among some in the community.
Currently, a petition has been put up on Change.org urging the reversal of plans to paint over the so-called “Southington Unity Mural” on North Main Street with another mural.
According to the online petition, the new mural would, instead, memorialize lost pets in Southington and help raise awareness and funds for the Southington Animal Control Department and the Friends of Southington Animal Control organization.
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The mural was painted on the side of 70 N. Main St., Southington, in September 2021 as part of the MLK39 Project, a national effort that included Connecticut to create similar murals in 39 other communities in the state, according to the petition.
A Facebook page has, even, been set up for the effort to “save the mural.”
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Painted more than a year after the George Floyd murder at the hands of a Minneapolis, Minn., police officer, the mural — according to the petition — plays a critical role in Southington’s culture.
That 2020 murder spawned a massive, national debate on racism, police brutality, and equality.
According to the petition, murals like the Southington Unity Mural helped the community move past that dark period of American history.
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“The mural has cultural, historical, educational, and artistic value essential to the public good of the Southington community and a diverse society,” reads the petition.
The colorful, upbeat mural depicts children of different races playing and learning in Southington.
“The beauty and symbolism of the mural represent the value of inclusivity, necessary for all residents to live together in a civil, productive, and peaceful community,” reads the petition.
As for what the new mural is reported to depict, the petition hints at potentially racist undertones.
“It is important to note that any plan to erase and replace the images of Black and Brown children, so beautifully depicted on the Southington Unity Mural, with domestic pets, is a plan that represents a more unsettling symbolism,” reads the petition.
According to the petition, community members are being urged to contact the Southington Chamber of Commerce; Diann Thompson, executive director of Southington Community Cultural Arts (SoCCA); and Southington Town Manager Alex Ricciardone.
While Southington Chamber President and Chief Executive Officer Barbara Ann Coleman Hekeler could not be reached for comment, SoCCA Director Diann Thompson’s office referred calls to SoCCA Board of Directors Chairperson Dawn Miceli, who could not be reached for comment.
Reached by Patch this week, Ricciardone said since the mural site is private property, the Town of Southington is not involved in the matter at all.
“Town staff administration does not get involved in private property owners’ rights unless there is a requirement for some sort of town action, for example, a building or zoning permit, or some type of violation, such as a zoning, health or blight violation,” Ricciardone wrote to patch.
” As there was no town action needed when the mural was originally created, there is no town action needed for anything regarding the mural now.”
The beneficiary of the new mural, the Friends of Southington Animal Control — which raises funds and collects donations to help the town’s dog pound/animal control department — weighed in.
According to Kitty Lukonis, president of the Friends of Southington Animal Control, the Southington Unity Mural was never going to be permanent in the first place.
She said the location was always meant to have a rotating mural, with the current mural’s deal running out Oct. 1.
“The building that houses the mural, in question, is private property and the owner leased the space for the mural until Oct. 1, 2024,” wrote Lukonis to Patch.
“The owner’s intention has been to create rotating murals to help support non-profits in the Southington community.”
For the full Southington Unity Mural petition on Change.org, click on this link.
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