LYNN — Two Lynn teenagers leading the push for a Black Lives Matter street mural in the city spent this past weekend collaborating on a similar project in Somerville.
Carlos Prudencio and Damianny Garrido said they were inspired by the community-oriented atmosphere that surrounded the painting of a Black Lives Matter street mural in Somerville, which presents a vastly different scenario than they have encountered with their proposal in Lynn.
While the BLM mural in Somerville was supported by city officials — Mayor Joseph Curtatone and City Councilor Kristen Strezo made an appearance during last weekend’s art installation in Magoun Square — the youth-led proposal in Lynn has been met with nothing but roadblocks.
For example, the city’s law department has issued a legal opinion advising against the street mural, saying that it could set a precedent for any group to come in and paint any kind of political message, and the chairman of the City Council subcommittee that would ultimately vote on the proposal opposes the project.
“It was so heartwarming to see all the faces in Somerville come out and we would love to have the same thing happen in Lynn,” said Prudencio, 17. “It was great and very much a community vibe coming from there.”
Prudencio and Garrido, 18, both Lynn English students, have mobilized an array of youth and community groups around an effort aimed at getting a “Black Lives Matter” mural painted on the street between Lynn District Court and City Hall.
Prudencio said they went down to Somerville with the intention of getting some advice and strategies on how to make a similar Black Lives Matter mural work in Lynn.
It’s been hard in Lynn, he said, explaining that they have met with city officials on numerous occasions, including two separate meetings with Mayor Thomas M. McGee and City Council President Darren Cyr in the past several weeks, but there has not been much progress.
The proposal would have to come before the City Council’s Public Property and Parks Committee, but Prudencio said they have not received any answers on when that date would be.
“We’re discouraged that it’s taking so much time, not just me and Damy, but the other youth,” said Prudencio. “We have community leaders supporting this, but then there’s a lack of administrative support.”
Support at the city level is “fuzzy,” Prudencio said, noting that the only city councilor that has been supporting their efforts is Fred Hogan. At their recent meeting with the mayor, he said McGee expressed his support for the project, but noted that it was the decision of the Public Property Committee.
On Thursday, McGee told The Item he was impressed after his meeting with Prudencio and Garrido, particularly with their passion and commitment to making a difference in their community.
McGee noted that he was also impressed with another group of students from Raw Art Works who are also proposing street art in Lynn, which would bear the inspirational message, “We are Better Together,” a project that the law department has also advised against.
“What I heard from both groups was a passion for living in Lynn,” said McGee. “They felt these were important things to try to make happen. I think it’s important they get a chance to go before the Public Property Committee to present both of their proposals.”
While McGee said he respects the work that went into the law department’s opinion on both projects and understands where they’re coming from, in terms of the murals setting a precedent for allowing future street art with different political messages, he thinks it’s important to work with the groups to find ways to appropriately make the projects happen.
“I think the first step is engaging the community and getting a chance to make their presentation in front of the committee,” said McGee, noting that Somerville is the latest community to allow a BLM mural. “It’s brought other communities together and I think that would be the case (in Lynn) too. We’re a very diverse community.”
However, the political undertones of the project could be what ultimately defeats the proposal. City Solicitor George Markopoulos has advised the City Council and its Public Property and Parks subcommittee to reject the proposal, citing the precedent it would set for having to allow all future political messaging.
“If the city were to allow private groups to display messages on crosswalks, it would be required to allow any group to display any subject to very limited time, place, and manner restrictions,” said Markopoulos.
“Consistent with prior opinions regarding the use of municipal buildings for any event that could be deemed political in nature, it is the opinion of this office that the Lynn City Council should not approve any request to paint verbiage on public ways that are unrelated to public safety traffic messaging.”
Ward 2 Councilor Rick Starbard, who chairs the five-member Public Property and Parks Committee, said that he would not be in favor of the mural if it came before the committee.
“We got a legal ruling which didn’t advise it and that’s what we’ll probably go with,” said Starbard. “We did ask for an opinion, which was really no different than what’s already been stated: that we would open up the streets to basically be a billboard for any message. It’s either allow them all or don’t allow it.”
Hogan, who does not sit on the subcommittee, said he is in favor of the project, and plans to meet with the law department, Prudencio and Garrido early next week to discuss the mural.
“I would like to let them listen to Damianny and Carlos since their recent collaboration with Somerville,” said Hogan. “(I am in favor) because we have a strong, diverse community and the mural is important for racial justice and racial equality.”
Cyr declined to comment on the mural, and referred all questions to the law department, saying the issue was “more complicated than my opinion.”
Despite the roadblocks that they have encountered in Lynn, Prudencio remains optimistic that there’s a path forward for the project.
“The mural is for the people,” said Prudencio. “It’s for the community. We’re doing it for the community and with the community, and that includes our administration. We would love to work with our administration.”
