Two pastors were arrested in St. Petersburg, Florida, after kneeling in prayer on a “Black History Matters” street mural to protest its erasure. Reverend Andrew “Andy” Oliver and Minister Benedict Atherton-Zeman were taken into custody on Friday evening as workers arrived to cover the artwork with black paint.
The mural, painted in 2023 outside the Woodson African American Museum of Florida, was being removed under an order from Governor Ron DeSantis to eliminate “non-standard” road art. The removal is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to reduce what it calls “distractions” on public roads.
Police asked the men to move, but they refused, leading to their arrest on a misdemeanour charge of resisting without violence. The pair spent the night in Pinellas County jail before being released on a $500 bond each.
“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. Atherton-Zeman said he could not “stand on the sidelines” and felt compelled to “kneel in the street.”
Following the arrests, the mural was covered with black paint. In a Facebook post, Oliver wrote that “black history still matters,” noting that the paint could not fully hide the truth. The Woodson museum expressed deep disappointment but affirmed its commitment to African American history and culture.
The St. Petersburg mural is one of four in the city slated for removal. Similar actions have occurred elsewhere in Florida, including the covering of a rainbow street mural in Orlando, created in memory of the 49 victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting.
