By: Diane Benjamin
The Bloomington City Council had a short meeting, only around an hour. Did you miss Tim Gleason’s announcement Bloomington got named the happiest city in America?
This is actually from five months ago, but here’s the announcement: https://www.zippia.com/advice/happiest-city-each-state/
Since the City is full of happy people and all the problems are fixed, bring on Public Art and Juneteenth.
Jeff Crabill forgot to mention the new local edition of public art. It will surely inspire young residents to reach for the stars!
Joni Painter is worried about the City getting stuck with the bill, like the underpass mural added a few years ago. The City will be budgeting something but they have hopes private donations will cover the cost.
51:04 – Hear Mboka’s vision for Juneteenth. He wants programs to involve the whole City. He prefers a weekend instead of giving employees a day off with pay because to many other people would be working. He also thinks letting people off work early might work.
Kim Bray follows. She believes the entire city can come together to celebrate. (If we build it they will come)
Tari Renner bloviates next, he thinks not taking a day off cheapens the holiday.
Jenn Carrillo thinks July 4th is culturally celebrated on whatever day it falls. Just like Tari, not taking a day off work for Juneteenth cheapens it. She wants to take the lead in recognizing it in hopes it becomes a federal holiday.
Keep in mind, Juneteenth is a holiday only to celebrate how slow news traveled in the 19th century. Evidently celebrating a northern victory over the southern racists isn’t nearly as important. The murder of Abraham Lincoln by a southerner upset he freed the slaves isn’t very important either. In case you don’t know, that was April 14, 1865. The date the slaves in Texas found out they were free was June 19, 1865. Lincoln signing the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863 didn’t free anyone. The Civil War still has to be fought.
The point is, many dates could be celebrated that are far more important. Why this one?
Mboka has been discussing this with a group pushing for more black history. Heroes like black Founding Fathers and the first blacks to serve in Congress must not be worth it, maybe because they were Republicans.
Replacing Columbus with Indigenous People’s day will get a hearing in November. The goal is to erase culture and history.
Congrats happy Bloomington!
So we now paint the portrait of counterfeit money passers on our walls, how wonderful.. Maybe we can do one for the looters also.
On the other side of the coin, I REALLY can’t see this as a “contribution” to the city.
So, the CITY is happy? I would be too if I was stealing from the residents.
Just to clarify, the mural was commissioned by the WSRP in collaboration with the Boys & Girls Club. It is painted on private property. It was funded with grants from various art foundations It was not funded by the City. It was a coincidence that the Council discussion about a Public Arts Commission was on the same day. The Commission is for placing art on public property, to be vetted by the Council.
City paid $20,000
Source?
https://blnnews.com/2019/07/05/other-things-bloomington-is-paying-monday/
Sorry, $5000 instead of $20,000
WHAT? We paid $20 K for this crap? I could eat a box of crayons and crap out a better mural then this..
Not this one, the one on the underpass on the west side.
The City ended up paying $5,000 for the West Market Street Mural. (not including personnel costs)
That’s STILL a waste of tax dollars. Buy the paint and let some children paint it!
How far would that money have gone FIXING things in this city??
They got stuck with the bill when the organizers failed to raise the money
BCPA, Arena, and uptown with the cornybelters field and one mudpit. Seems that these local yokels SURE make a LOT of “good decisions” with OUR money!
Understand Limited gov now?
Hate to say it Diane, but, you’re 1/2 right! Limited brain capacity but UNLIMITED spending with OUR money!
So we paid for a picture of a drug addicted felon who died from a Fentanyl overdose displayed in our town like he is the next MLK?
You just don’t get more corrupt/insane than this.
And Hunter Biden’s Laptop is a Russian disinformation campaign, right?
Note to idiots voting for Biden: Your candidate will be impeached if he happens to win (highly unlikely), so you are actually voting for Kamala Harris. Let that sink in for a minute…. Maybe that is what you want?
Bloomington didn’t pay for that mural!