Norristown Council Approves Black Lives Matter Painting Downtown

NORRISTOWN, PA — The Norristown Municipal Council voted this week to approve a Black Lives Matter painting downtown, saying it reflected the direction in which the municipality was moving and represented an important message to local residents. It comes months after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked a nationwide chain of protests, including several events in Norristown and reinvigorated calls for racial justice.

While certain specifics are still being ironed out, the artistic installation will be placed across from the Montgomery County Courthouse on Swede Street, adjacent to 425 Swede Street. It will read the words "Black Lives Matter," and a group of community volunteers will help cover the cost and perform the work.

"Let's not dilute the message here," Council President Derrick Perry said. "There's a social class of people of color who've been down for a long time. We've had people that fought for civil rights...this is just another message for people to understand where we wanna go, how we wanna go, and be unapologetic about it. It's unfortunate that we're here, in 2020, still talking about Black Lives Matter."

The exact nature of the installation is still in the works, and nothing specific has yet been approved. If the painting becomes more than just words, then additional zoning approval will be necessary. Councilman Hakim Jones said that regardless, the financial cost of the artwork would not be a burden to taxpayers.

Several members of the community voiced opposition to the mural in the public comments section of the meeting. Some said they supported the sentiment, but not the actual Black Lives Matter Organization. Others were concerned about the use of tax dollars amidst the pandemic and economic shutdown. And some said the government should not be involved in social movements.

"Borough administration should be apolitical, and council is supposed to be unbiased and bipartisan," said Mary Joe and Ed Lester, who added they have been homeowners on Locust Street for 53 years, and expressed "vehement" opposition to the painting.

Council members said that it wasn't about partisanship, but civil rights, and were adamant in their support of the peaceful protests which have taken place in Norristown in recent months.

"I think that what we're doing at the local level has nothing to do with what people are seeing in other parts of the country when it comes to violence and destruction," Jones added.

"The people who feel as though this is divisive, or this goes against a social class, or we're leaving someone out, how do you think black people feel all their lives?" Perry said. "You wouldn't be able to feel that, because you're not black. And you wouldn't understand. And if you did want to understand, you would want to have those meaningful conversations with people who don't look like you, people who are discriminated against."

Officials did not say exactly when work on the installation would begin. Construction work on One Montgomery will continue through October, but council members said that those working on the painting would be able to work around and avoid the construction.

You can watch the full municipal council meeting from Wednesday evening online here: