A student-led effort to paint an “All Lives Matter” mural on Indiana University’s campus has been blocked by the City of Bloomington, despite the city’s approval of a “Black Lives Matter” mural on Jordan Avenue only a few months ago.
The proposed All Lives Matter mural would feature large, block letters similar to the BLM mural. It would feature a thin blue line and red line to offer support to first responders.
Kyle Reynolds, the Campus Coordinator for Turning Point USA at IU, followed a nearly identical process to the student group responsible for the BLM mural, Black Collegians, when applying for approval for the project from the city and the university on behalf of the TPUSA chapter.
Reynolds first reached out to Thomas Morrison, IU’s Vice President for Capital Planning and Facilities, who provided constructive information related to the project. Morrison went so far as to seemingly approve a potential location for the mural on the university’s behalf, saying in an email, “You can relay to the City that IU is ok with the East Kirkwood location.”
While the university’s awareness and cooperation is needed, a project involving a public street such as these murals ultimately lies in the hands of the city. As such, Reynolds was eventually directed to Bloomington’s Board of Public Works and Bloomington’s Legal Department to seek final approval for the design. As things currently stand, Bloomington’s Attorney, Mike Rouker, is not allowing the All Lives Matter mural despite the city’s recent approval of the BLM mural.
Reynolds has commented on the matter, telling The Crimson Post, “While it is no secret that Bloomington frequently champions liberal causes, it is disappointing that the city has denied us our right to share our own values and beliefs.” He continued, “A college campus should be an arena where rigorous debate is encouraged and conflicting viewpoints are allowed to be expressed and challenged. The city, however, has chosen to deny students this opportunity.”
Reynolds and the chapter plan to take legal action against the City of Bloomington. They believe that the situation would be different if the city had never allowed any politically-charged street art in the first place, but now that they have opened the door, Bloomington needs to answer why murals representing other ideologies are not allowed.
Shelby Fugate, Events Coordinator for TPUSA at IU, told The Crimson Post, “Bloomington denying the All Lives Matter mural demonstrates once again the hypocrisy of the city. I guess they really support the idea of ‘rules for thee but not for me.’ It’s extremely unfortunate that they do not support a true independent thinking community.”
The City of Bloomington would like to pretend that unquestioning acceptance of the Black Lives Matter movement, complete with its root ideologies and symbols, is the only acceptable opinion. To dare criticize BLM or be so bold as to suggest that all lives matter obviously equates to believing in the inferiority of Black Americans.
While many on the left and unaware center may wish this was the consensus, it is far from being so. City bureaucrats and IU administrators would benefit from realizing that for many, such as the students in Turning Point USA, promoting the inherent worth of black Americans, and in fact all Americans, can be done without pledging loyalty to a divisive Marxist organization.