Two pastors were arrested in Saint Petersburg, Florida, after praying over the city’s “Black History Matters” asphalt mural to protest its erasure.
Reverend Andrew “Andy” Oliver and Minister Benedict Atherton-Zeman knelt on top of the colorful mural and repeated prayers around 8 p.m. local time on Friday as workers in the Florida Department of Transportation arrived with paint to cover up the mural.
The mural, created in 2023 outside of the Woodson African American Museum of Florida, was next for removal as part of Governor Ron DeSantis’ order to eliminate “non-standard” road art. It’s part of a wider effort by the Trump administration to eliminate “distractions” on public roads.
Upon hearing it was up for removal, Oliver and Atherton-Zeman headed over to the mural and prayed over it. Videos and photos taken from the scene show the two pastors with their eyes closed and hands in prayer.
St. Petersburg police asked the two to move out of the way, but they refused, leading to their arrests on one misdemeanor count of resisting.
“For me, living out my faith, resisting tyranny and fascism and white supremacy was the most important thing last night,” Oliver told the Tampa Bay Times. “I had to do what I had to do.”
Atherton-Zeman told Fox 13 News that he couldn’t just “stand on the sidelines” and watch the mural be covered.
“We have the values of interdependence, of love, and I really couldn’t just stand on the sidelines,” Atherton-Zeman said. “I had to kneel in the street.”
After the two pastors were forcibly removed from the site and arrested, the mural was covered with black paint.
Oliver and Atherton-Zeman spent the night in Pinnelas County jail.
The pastors returned to the site of the former mural after posting a $500 bond and took a photo, which was later posted on Facebook.
“Black history still matters… if you look hard at the picture, you can see that even Ron’s paint couldn’t fully hide that truth,” Oliver wrote on Facebook, referencing the governor’s orders.
Both pastors urged the public to donate to the museum.
The “Black History Matters” mural is just one of four street murals in St. Petersburg that have been marked for removal by state officials.
While state and federal officials say the removals are to create fewer distractions on streets, it is also part of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on anything he perceives as “woke.”
Other notable murals in the state have been removed as well, including the rainbow street mural in Orlando that was created in memory of the 49 people who were murdered in the Pulse nightclub shooting.
In a Facebook post, museum officials expressed their deep disappointment over the mural’s removal, but noted that people can still support its message.
“Just because the mural has disappeared, it doesn’t mean The Woodson’s mission has ended. We continue to preserve, present, interpret, celebrate, and educate others about African American art, history, and culture throughout Florida and beyond,” the Woodson museum wrote.
The post Two Florida Pastors Arrested After Praying on Top of ‘Black History Matters’ Mural to Stop Crews From Removing It appeared first on American Renaissance.
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