Pastors arrested after praying over street mural
St. Pete police say Andrew Oliver and Benedict Atherton-Zeman sat on top of a “Black History Matters” street mural, blocking FDOT workers from painting over it. FOX 13’s Evan Axelbank reports.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Two pastors were arrested after police said they tried to block FDOT crews from painting over the “Black History Matters” street mural in St. Petersburg.
What we know:
The St. Pete Police Department said crews with the Florida Department of Transportation arrived at 8 p.m. to paint over the street mural on 9th Avenue South, west of 22nd Street South.Â
RELATED: Gov. DeSantis doubles down on FDOT order to remove street murals
However, officials said Andrew Oliver, 45, and Benedict Atherton-Zeman, 59, walked by police officers and sat down in the road, on top of the mural. Officers said they were trying to block FDOT machinery.
Mugshots of Andrew Oliver and Benedict Atherton-Zeman. Courtesy: Pinellas County Jail.
Officers said they warned both of them to move repeatedly, but they refused. That’s when police arrested them, according to the department.Â
Oliver and Atherton-Zeman were arrested on two charges, including pedestrian obstructing or hindering traffic and obstruction.Â
Pictured: Black History Matters mural on 9th Avenue South, west of 22nd Street South.Â
What they’re saying:
“What I said was, ‘Mother Goddess, Father God, Spirit of Life, thank you for this ability to do your work in this world,’” said Rev. Benedict Atherton-Zeman, the minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church.
The pastors said they learned of the FDOT crews arriving at the site of the museum, and went quickly to pray.
“Part of my vows that I took as part of my ordination and my baptism is to resist evil and justice and oppression,” said Oliver.
The two pastors spent part of the night in jail.
“We have the values of interdependence, of love, and I really couldn’t just stand on the sidelines,” said Atherton-Zeman. “I had to kneel in the street.”
FDOT orders removal of street murals
The backstory:
Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 1662 into law in June. FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue described the bill as an effort to keep transportation facilities free and clear of political ideologies.
FDOT is ordering cities and counties to identify and potentially remove artwork on roadways that may violate state traffic control guidelines. State officials have said “non-standard surface markings” can cause distractions or misunderstandings on the road and jeopardize driver and pedestrian safety.
READ: Tampa will remove 47 street murals after state order
Local perspective:
The city of St. Pete had requested to keep several pieces of artwork on its roadways, including a Pride mural, a USF campus mural and the “Black History Matters” mural outside the Woodson African American History Museum. The city had said crash data showed that certain street murals on its roadways aren’t a safety risk.
However, FDOT denied that request about a week ago.Â
READ: FDOT denies St. Pete’s request to keep several street murals on roadways
City officials said on Monday that they would be strategic and not reactionary regarding FDOT’s decision and encouraged residents to do the same.Â
“These murals are more than paint on pavement. They are expressions of our community identity and values,” St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch said during a news conference on Monday.
When FDOT told the city that the street murals had to be removed, Welch said the city pushed back, but FDOT threatened penalties that would have cost the city millions of dollars in state funding.Â
“As the mayor of our city, I will not risk these essential investments in a fight I don’t believe we can win,” Welch said. “That would be irresponsible leadership and detrimental to our city in the long run. But make no mistake, this is not the end of the story. Our response will be strategic, not reactionary.”
The other side:
DeSantis responded to the outcry over FDOT’s order. The governor was in Tampa on Tuesday morning, where he and the FDOT secretary doubled down on the statewide order.
“We’re not doing the commandeering of the roads to put up messaging,” DeSantis said.
On Tuesday, at a transportation press conference, DeSantis said the move was a policy change by the state legislature.
“The roads are there for either pedestrians to cross or cars to go, and that’s what it’s going to be,” DeSantis said.
What’s next:
Activists in St. Pete are planning an event for Sunday that will highlight Black history and pride, and that will feature the drawing of chalk art on parts of Central Ave.
“I think what he’s going to find out is that as he continues to erase this, people are going to come together in community,” said Oliver.
The attorney for both pastors says she will be speaking with prosecutors about dropping the charges because no one was injured and this was a non-violent form of protest.
An event called “Stand Up St. Pete” is planned for Sunday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., which will feature chalk art on Central Ave. between 23rd and 25th St.
The Source: The information in this story was provided by the St. Petersburg Police Department as well as previous reporting on FDOT’s order to remove street murals across the state.Â