VTrans removes anti-BLM highway graffiti, protects pro-BLM graffiti

By Guy Page

Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) highway workers on July 6 in Jamaica and nearby towns removed roadway graffiti saying “BLM is Racist.” Less than a month ago, Gov. Phil Scott and VTrans officials, after complaints that workers had removed pro-Black Lives Matter graffiti in the town of Jamaica, told highway workers to leave all roadway graffiti untouched unless it was dangerous to traffic, grotesque or profane.

According to the Chester Telegraph, someone spraypainted “BLM is Racist” on the night of July 5-6 in three locations in the towns of South Londonderry and Jamaica. “By that afternoon, the message had been covered by pink spray paint and the following morning all three had been washed away by the Vermont Agency of Transportation,” the July 8 Telegraph said.

Trans on June 19 instructed employees to not remove murals, signs or graffiti in the highway right-of-way unless profane, grotesque or dangerous to traffic, according to two VTrans memos. It was a reversal of the longstanding policy of removing or painting over graffiti and other messaging. The policy change was made after guidance from the governor’s office, and was in response to a complaint from a pro-BLM protester whose chalk-written messages on the VT-30 bridge in Jamaica were erased in June. One message said “No Justice, No Peace,” and the other listed names of black people killed by police and others.

Agency of Transportation

After a complaint from the author of this message written in chalk on a bridge on Rte. 30 in Jamaica, the Agency of Transportation decided June 19 it will not remove any road or bridge messaging, sign or graffiti unless profane, grotesque or unsafe. (AOT photo)

According to the July 10 Telegraph, Londonderry Town Clerk and House member Kelly Pajala “praised VTrans’ quick action to remove the graffiti.” The Londonderry school board chair warned that “racist intimidation has no place in Londonderry.”

The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines profane as “serving to debase or defile what is holy; irreverent, obscene, vulgar.” It defines grotesque as “a style of decorative art characterized by fanciful or fantastic human and animal forms often interwoven with foliage or similar figures that may distort the natural into absurdity, ugliness, or caricature.” It is not clear how “BLM is Racist” fits either definition.

Shortly before publication Thursday, Vermont Daily emailed VTrans to hear why pro-BLM graffiti messaging is protected but messaging critical of BLM is eliminated. VTrans did not immediately return a request for comment.

At his press conference Thursday, GOP gubernatorial candidate John Klar said the state’s action suggests a point of view that “First Amendment freedom applies to one side, and not the other. … Some say BLM is a racist, terrorist organization, some say it’s liberating.” The administration’s choice shows that “it does not understand the basic tenets of the Constitution.” Klar, a lawyer, cited the U.S. Supreme Court 1977 Skokie decision that held that even Nazis have the legal right to peacefully assemble and speak freely.

Read more of Guy Page’s reports. Vermont Daily is sponsored by True North Media.

Image courtesy of Agency of Transportation

19 thoughts on “VTrans removes anti-BLM highway graffiti, protects pro-BLM graffiti

  1. Refreshing to see someone had guts and common sense to do the right thing. Last time I looked defacing pulblic property is illegal.

  2. This is where we could, should we so desire to control the narrative, rather than being controlled.

    All Republicans want justice. They do not want to see people unjustly accused of any crime or to have a punishment more severe than the crime committed. We need to say this.

    The other side isn’t about peace, they state it in all their propaganda. NO PEACE, while they burn, loot and kill their brothers and sisters. Just show them for their own actions. People want a fair trial, to be treated justly. We all do as american citizens.

    Bring it home, bring us together. It’s their worst nightmare, they need the division to get their power.

    • Maybe their slogan should be taken at face value…

      We don’t want justice
      We don’t want peace.

  3. The state government has a constitutional obligation to be neutral regarding ideologies
    No slogans, graffiti anywhere on roads, bridges, etc.
    Perpetrators should be punished to the full extent of the law, fined and/or do community service cleaning up.

    This has nothing to do with so-called “free-expression”
    It has to do with defilement of public property, that was built with hard-earned tax money more or less coerced from hard-working Vermonters.

    If they want to paint slogans on the walls inside their houses, that is ok.
    If they want to peacefully, orderly, and LAWFULLY demonstrate, that is ok; no hooligan-style looting, burning, defilement, and violence to others.

  4. So only commie messages will be allowed. — Will this stop before democracy is only a memory?

  5. Why would the state protect one of the biggest money laundering schemes in the whole world? Birds of a feather flock together. Surely some of that BLM money is going to get filtered down to your favorite socialist, NWO pimp.

    Yeah you won’t see much for the common POC, nope, they’ll have the same crappy schools, broken families, traps set to keep people in poverty for life, no economic opportunities and promise of free stuff to keep you hooked on the Marxist, socialist, hope sucking plantation.

    Funny sound like the prosperity plan many are pushing in Montpelier!

    How to get rich by keeping your brother poor, oppressed, unaffordable and dependent. It’s coming to your town in Vermont soon, perhaps it has already arrived.

    • Already arrived Neil just look at the liberal out of staters under the golden dome who moved here and took over. They all need to be GONE ASAP

      • So true, so true. I’m trying to make the connection between BLM and who they really support (where does the money go). They are extremely clever with their words and so, so many people take them for face value on what they say. And if you criticize the organization, you are immediately labeled racist, and heaven for bid you stop quickly and put an skid mark on pavement that happens to have a BLM graffiti, you will be processed for a hate crime.

        Meanwhile little or no money goes to help any POC, it goes to helping up organizations the pay themselves massive amounts of money and prop up government officials who would rather see America under the United Nations control, a one world government, rather than a beautiful Republic, of free thinking, free citizens.

        Should you even question, Why are they burning down towns of those people they proport to support, and you’re a principle, they will fire you and ostracize you publicly across the state. Make no mistake this is the modern public hanging.

        This is the romans, killing every tenth man in the army (decimate) to get compliance from the the rest. There is no due process, no rule of law. This is how the keep the populace completely afraid to speak up publicly. This is how the keep a minority of people who support the foundation of Vermont ideals from speaking up and growing.

        Course if you’re ruling and can keep your class together, with all the benefits and insider deals that socialism and crony capitalism promote, you want things to stay just as they are.

  6. Good bye free speech, we would not want to hurt some poor unemployed marxist’s feelings.

  7. The State is now in the business of determining what speech is allowed and what will be investigated as a ‘hate crime’. They’d better hire a few more mural removing crews – they’ll need them if they want a First Amendment fight.

      • That’s genius. What a road trip. Get a few hundred people,together and then litterally start painting a town.

        Oh my, this could be too much fun.

        What if we painted BLM over the entire state house? Lol. Many know the acronym has many more accurate meanings.

      • Pehaps we could list all the Vermonter who gave their lives in the civil war to free their fellow men and women who lived in a completely different state.

  8. Pretty pathetic display, but you have to understand Liberals are in control
    in Vermonts Goverment and agencies ……Yup Pathetic.

    Two way street, nah those days are gone unless you boot these fools out !!

    Wake up people.

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