Florida’s ‘Back The Blue’ mural received major backlash while getting mocked online by users.
The giant illustration is situated on a Florida street, just outside the Tampa Police Department.
The enormous mural shows great support for the police officers of the state. It was created alongside countless others during the Black Lives Matter campaign. And the ultimate reason was related to efforts towards ending racism.
Similarly, it was designed to help dictate of the state was united in ending systemic racism. And that included a complete end to any sort of unjust action by the police department against all Black people.
At the same time, there are countless spots in the US where the phrase, ‘Black Lives Matter’ is printed vividly across the streets. And that’s exactly when numerous volunteers, as well as artists, joined hands in solidarity to do the same at Tampa.
They decided to paint the terms ‘Back the Blue’ towards the intersection between E Cass and the famous Jefferson streets.
While many showed great support for the mural, there are others who held back. And that’s because they believed that while it shows inclusivity, it also condemns police officers.
For this reason, countless residents from Tampa are raising their voice for the design of another mural. And that means selecting art that actually supports the law enforcement agencies around the state.
Tampa city’s mayor gave full approval for the mural’s creation and that’s why it was completed on August 2nd. Moreover, it took 40 volunteers and artists a staggering four hours to complete the giant artwork.
The mural features all the colors that represent the hues of the national American flag while the letters are bold and capitalized for easy viewing from far.
But those efforts weren’t good enough as social media users started voicing their opinions through numerous twitter debates. While some did appreciate the efforts, the majority held the view that it wasn’t good enough.
It also was not uncommon to see words such as ‘sh*t, garbage, and other derogatory terms being used. On the other hand, one user went as far as saying that the weak mural should be ‘covered up.’
South Florida’s team is well aware of the fact that many wouldn’t be on board for the mural’s creation in the first place. And that’s exactly why they’ve set up ‘detailed surveillance’ to keep an eye over it.