Monthly Archives: April 2021

City officials say the mural painted on the fence doesn't conform with West St. Paul city ordinances. (FOX 9)

WEST ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The City of West St. Paul says a Black Lives Matter mural painted on a fence in the city has to be painted over, or the homeowners will face a fine.

The Black Lives Matter mural was painted on a fence that's on private property late last summer. Homeowner Ryan Weyandt says the fence turned canvas forces people to take pause at a normally busy West St. Paul intersection and thats the point.

The City of West St. Paul says a Black Lives Matter mural painted on a fence in the city has to be painted over, or the homeowners will face a fine.

"We thought this was an appropriate way to get a visual message out," said Weyandt.

Weyandt and his husband couldnt stay quiet last summer after George Floyds death and unrest in the cities -- so they spoke out through the mural, a Black Lives Matter message painted by two local artists.

"We had hoped if it just made one person who had to pause at this stop sign and think," said Weyandt, "that that would really fulfill what we were trying to do."

Its caught the eye of many in the community, including some neighbors who didnt like the mural and called it into the city.

"Turns out there is both a sign ordinance and a fence ordinance in town," said Weyandt.

Now, Weyandt says they have until April 15 to paint over it or pay a fine.

"We have had other messages on this fence for three years and this is the first time weve ever gotten a citation for it," said Weyandt.

Community activist and former mayoral candidate KaeJae Johnson, whose face is also part of the fence artwork, wants to see it stay.

"This is about my life, this is saying, this is telling my granddaughter that it matters that she lives in West St. Paul," said Johnson. "It's telling her shes welcome here."

Johnson tells us messages like this are needed to make sure the Black community knows they matter and are important in West St. Paul.

"This is what were aiming West St. Paul to be," added Johnson. "Has it changed on so many levels, absolutely, but its not there yet why is it not there yet? Because theyre asking him to take it down."

We did hear back Thursday from the City of West St. Paul, who told us in a statement the fence does not comply with city code which states: "Fences shall not contain pictures or lettering and shall be one uniform color."

Signs also cannot be fixed on fences, adding that: "the City cannot and does not take content or message into account when dealing with infractions of City Code. All City Code, as well as enforcement, is content neutral."

Weyandt tells us if he does not comply, he will face fines of about $250 dollars a day. But he has had offers from lots of people who can come help paint.

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City of West St. Paul tells resident to paint over Black Lives Matter mural on fence or face fines - FOX 9

During the tumultuous summer and fall of 2020, a photojournalist needed more than cameras and lenses to cover the news. Kevlar jackets, ballistic helmets, and gas masks were also standard operating equipment.

That was the case for Mason Trinca, a documentary photographer who covered the at-times violent protests in Portland for the New York Times. The city was in the national spotlight repeatedly as activists and protesters clashed with opponents and the police for more than 100 days on issues including Black Lives Matter concerns, the 2020 election, and federal responseto protests.

Against a backdrop in which tear gas and rubber bullets were nightly concerns, Trinca, BS 13 (environmental studies), suited up in body armor and dove into the fray. Relying on tips from sources, real-time guidance from the newspaper, and his own instincts, he strove to capture in pictures all sides of a fast-evolving story with subplots including the seizure of protesters by unidentified federal agents and counter protests by right-wing groups.

A Trinca photograph provided one of the defining images of the summer: a birds-eye view of shooting victim Aaron Danielson, a supporter of the right-wing group Patriot Prayer, taken froma rooftop.

Interviewed earlier this year, Trincawho lives in Portland with his wife, designer Myray Reames (BA 14, journalism)was still trying to make sense of last summers events.

Covering the protests had drained him physically and emotionally. Far from enjoying some sort of journalistic immunity, Trinca and fellow reporters received death threats for their coverage.

We were targeted multiple times, for our coverage both on the left and right side, Trinca says. When we do fair and accurate coverage, we get threatened on both sides. People want to exist in their own ecospheres and oftentimes not want to hear the other side of the story, whether its good or bad.

Trinca hadnt fully processed the protests in part because he hasnt slowed down. He recently returned from Liberia on a shoot for a commercial client and also finished a job for Wired magazine (hes bound by confidentiality agreements from discussing projects prior to release). He was also retained by the state and Portland advertising agency Wieden+Kennedyknown for its work with Niketo provide pictures for a campaign on the importance of masks duringthe pandemic.

What ties Trincas various assignments together, he says, is storytelling. All his clients want it: genuine, revealing, human moments, whether the medium is journalism, advertising, or public service. A class in environmental studies first planted in him the notion of storytelling with a camera, and Trinca developed his skills with Sung Park, senior instructor in the School of Journalism and Communication.

What makes my workand the work of a lot of photojournalists-turned-commercial photographersspecial is that we can pitch the idea, This is a real story; were going to find real people and capture real moments, Trinca says. People want that more and more.

Next up: finding a fresh way to tell the story of this summers inevitable wildfires.

Trinca has photographed Californias sprawling blazes roughly a half-dozen times. The saturation news coverage of these catastrophes forces him to constantly reexamine his approach in hopes of producing an uncommon photograph, a different perspective. Hes already begun preparationsshoring up the camera equipment hell need, working out logistics, girding himself mentally.

How are we going to cover the wildfires differently? he asks. What will resonate with audiences when we are constantly bombarding them with terrible images? How do we bring humanity to that? These are the things I think about for the next disaster.

By Matt Cooper,managing editor for Oregon Quarterly

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Mason Trinca: Black Lives Matter Protests Behind, Wildfires Ahead - AroundtheO

A Black Lives Matter mural in Pullman, it's been the goal of one local group for nine long months now. Originally, the group went to the Pullman City Council asking for help, but since then the project has been caught up in red tape.

Pullman City Council handed off the public art project to the Pullman Arts Commission. From there the Arts Commission went to the public for mural design submissions.

Before long, the call to artists generated seven submissions, and a couple had a lot of public support on social media. But according to the Pullman City Council, procedurally, there were missteps in the process, so the city council decided to scrap what they had and start over. But many who supported the mural designs that said Black Lives Matter believe the city council was uncomfortable with the phrase Black Lives Matter.

But the waiting seems to be over now, as a new non-profit called the Pullman Arts Foundation has taken the mural project into their own hands. The foundation has been working with a local business in downtown Pullman where the mural will go and has already raised more than $15,000 for the mural.

Now, all there is left to do is to rent the equipment, buy the paint, and paint. The Pullman Arts Foundation plans to have the mural complete by the end of summer 2021.

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Black Lives Matter mural in Pullman to be complete the end of summer - KHQ Right Now

Campaigners are calling on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to withdraw a report into racism, and instead enact recommendations from multiple previous inquiries, to tackle race equality in Britain in 2021.

Groups including Black Lives Matter UK say the Government-commissioned report has provoked national indignation, whilst campaigner Doreen Lawrence called it a green light for racists.

In an open letter to Mr Johnson, organisations said the report whitewashes the daily challenges faced by black and minoritised communities.

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The letter said the report fails on even the most basic level, in acknowledging the fundamental rights of Black and minoritised communities, and the impact of hostile environment policies that have threatened the citizenship and status of the Windrush generation and their descendants.

Mr Johnson has said he does not agree with everything in the report, but does want to implement its recommendations.

In June last year, following anti-racism protests triggered by the killing of George Floyd in the US, he announced the setting up of a commission to investigate the state of racial inequalities in the UK.

Last month, its chair Dr Tony Sewell, came back with a258-page reportthat has since sparked a widespread backlash, as it concluded that the country no longer has a system rigged against people from ethnic minorities.

It also said family structure and social class had a bigger impact than race on how peoples lives turned out.

The report acknowledged that overt racism exists, particularly online, but said the UK should be regarded as a model for other white-majority countries for its success in removing race-based disparities in society.

The commission also said there was anecdotal evidence of racism, but no proof of institutional racism in the country.

It lists 24 recommendations, which include extending school days in disadvantaged areas to help pupils catch up on missed learning during the pandemic, and getting rid of the acronym BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic).

The report also warned organisations to stop funding unconscious bias training, with government and experts developing resources to help advance workplace equality.

It also said children from disadvantaged backgrounds should have access to better quality careers advice in schools, funded by university outreach programmes, and that more research is needed to understand why pupils perform well in certain communities, so this can be replicated to help all children succeed.

In the letter, organisations including campaigning group Charity So White, Liberty, the National Education Union, The Runnymede Trust and Black Pride, called on Mr Johnson to repudiate the commissions findings immediately and withdraw its report.

They said: From the moment that membership of the ostensibly independent commission was announced, it was clear it would publish a tailored report conforming to a government narrative around racism and class a narrative that whitewashes over the daily challenges faced by Black and minoritised communities in this country.

The letter also said the report was lacking in intellectual rigour and notes that some of those cited in the report have since claimed they were misrepresented.

It urged Mr Johnson to establish a task force to implement the recommendations made by previous investigations into race including inquiries into the murder of Stephen Lawrence and the Windrush scandal.

The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities maintains its work has been misrepresented, adding that it had never said that racism does not exist in society or in institutions.

In a statement, the commission said: We say the contrary: racism is real and we must do more to tackle it.

Robust debate we welcome. But to depict us as racism deniers, slavery apologists or worse is unacceptable.

Meanwhile, Mr Johnson said the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities report was a very interesting piece of work but he was not going to say the government is going to agree with absolutely everything in it.

He said there are very serious issues that our society faces to do with racism that we need to address and added that the government would be looking at the ideas the commission put forward.

The letter calling on Mr Johnson to withdraw the report gained more than 20,000 signatures in 48 hours, and received support from writer Afua Hirsch and actor Riz Ahmed.

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Black Lives Matter UK tells Boris Johnson to immediately withdraw race report - iNews

Hopeful. Alive. Connected. Joy.

Those were all words used to describe how a group of Bay Area residents felt during a closing circle after kayaking in Richmonds Marina Bay on a recent Saturday. Some attendees had kayaked before. For others, like Marisa Brown, it was their first time.

The group was part of a local meetup hosted by Outdoor Afro, a national organization founded in Oakland that connects Black people to nature and celebrates the contributions of Black people to the outdoors. The Bay Areas chapter of Trackers Earth, an organization that offers outdoor programs and summer camps for children, provided the kayaks for the event.

Brown, of Oakland, has been hiking and paddling with Outdoor Afro since last year. She said theres a sense of belonging at each meetup that she values.

It makes a difference when you see another person of color, said Brown, who identifies as biracial. You start to build a community, you start to see people at different events, you start bringing your friends.

Its what Rue Mapp envisioned when she first created Outdoor Afro as a blog in 2009. The Oakland native would search for groups to find other outdoor enthusiasts like herself.

I found that, especially as I got out away from the city, Id be the only Black person on those trips, Mapp said.

It was different from the experience she had as a child visiting the redwoods in Oakland with her family and her fathers ranch in Lake County on weekends. Her father, she said, would often invite family and friends from church to their ranch.

I got to experience up close and personal this wonder that people would experience when they were able to see stars at night that they wouldnt otherwise see in a polluted city, Mapp said. Or just remarks about how fresh the air was, or how quiet and peaceful it was.

I had this value of connecting to nature and hospitality that were rooted in my childhood experiences, she added.

Outdoor Afro is open to everyone, she said, but its specifically focused on the Black American experience.

Black people in the U.S. have been systematically excluded from public lands and the outdoors. According to a recent report, Black families are more likely to live in areas with less access to nature than white families.

For Mapp, the court case brought by John Harris in San Francisco in the late 1800s established the importance of access to the outdoors.

Harris, who was Black, was denied entry twice to the newly opened Sutro Baths despite paying the entrance fee in 1897 months after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld racial segregation laws under the separate but equal doctrine in the Plessy vs. Ferguson case.

Harris filed a lawsuit with the San Francisco Superior Court under the Dibble Civil Rights Act, which became the Unruh Civil Rights Act in 1959 and was recognized as Californias first civil rights act, according to the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. The court ruled in Harris favor although he received significantly less in damages than what he sued for.

Its because of his sacrifice, in the similar way that I think about the Harriet Tubmans of our world, that we stand on the shoulders of and that (Outdoor Afro) is honoring, Mapp said.

After the killings last year of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery and during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that has disproportionately affected Black communities Mapp said Outdoor Afro has provided a space for Black people to heal.

The organization regularly hosts Healing Hikes, which the group started in 2014 when protests erupted after the police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. Last year in February, Oprah Winfrey highlighted the group on her wellness tour and joined them for a healing hike at Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland.

For Julius Crowe Hampton, Outdoor Afro is a way of making Black lives matter in nature.

Its just so beautiful to have a refuge and to really do that healing work in nature, said Hampton, who identifies as Black and is a regional leader for Outdoor Afro. I love the fact that we center joy and healing and community.

Abram Jackson, who attended the Saturday meetup, said each event is an opportunity to learn about Black history.

This organization connects us to the history that we have in the outdoors space, said Jackson, who identifies as Black. Its a reminder that we are part of this and not an add-on, he said.

Participants paddled their boats from Marina Bay Yacht Harbor in Richmond Inner Harbor, which is near the historical Richmond Shipyards District. There were moments of stillness and calm when participants just soaked in the cool breeze and skyline view of San Francisco.

Abu Baker, a local leader with Outdoor Afro, gave a brief history lesson on the Kaiser shipyards and the fight to hire Black workers after World War II. Participants also paid respects to the native Ohlone people of Brooks Island, where participants kayaked nearby.

Baker said he enjoys not only teaching participants about the outdoors, but learning from them as well. A woman who is a botanist has joined Bakers hiking meetups and teaches him about plants and ecology, he said.

I like learning from others, especially people of color, said Baker, who identifies as Black. To be able to go outside safely and connect with people in a supportive social and healthy way is just priceless.

After protesters took to the streets last summer to demand justice for Black Americans killed by police, many industries and institutions in the U.S. had a reckoning on race, including environmental groups. In July, the Sierra Club apologized for its substantial role in perpetuating white supremacy, re-examined the organizations racist history and said John Muir, the clubs founder, was racist.

For Mapp, last year made it clear that Outdoor Afros work was more important than ever.

We didnt have to pivot our messaging. We didnt have to redefine who we were, Mapp said. It was a moment that helped us to understand the relevancy that weve always had, but especially in that moment.

Daria McKnight, an instructor at Trackers Earth and participant of Outdoor Afro meetups, said it had been her dream to connect both organizations. When she started working for the organization four summers ago, she said she noticed a lack of diversity.

As a result of the Black Lives Matter movement and the pandemic, the organization has been working on its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

Theres some companies coming out of COVID and Black Lives Matter [protests] and not making any changes, said McKnight, who identifies as Black. Im really proud of [Trackers Earth] for the growth. I think its better late than never.

For the closing circle Saturday, McKnights words were hopeful and encouraged. She said she hopes the relationship between both organizations will continue.

Jessica Flores is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jessica.flores@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jesssmflores

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Healing hikes: How one Oakland organization is making Black lives matter in nature - San Francisco Chronicle