“Black Lives Don’t Matter” says Binghamton City Council & Mayor
BLM street mural and resolution condemning racism blocked by conservative majority in Binghamton local government
BINGHAMTON— As cities across New York State pass resolutions and proposals reaffirming their commitment to racial equality, officials in Binghamton, NY have actively rejected all proposed legislation in support of Black lives.
Most recently, a request to paint one of the increasingly popular Black Lives Matter “street murals” was rejected by Binghamton City Council and the Mayor’s office, along with a proposed resolution condemning racism and declaring a commitment to improving race relations in the city.
A vote on both proposals was preemptively blocked by Republican council members, who currently hold a majority within the Council.
In June, councilwoman Aviva Friedman of Binghamton’s 4th District drafted and submitted an anti-racism resolution mirroring ones previously adopted in Potsdam, NY and Burlington, VT. She received notification on July 7th that all four Republican council members revoked sponsorship in advance of the proposal to prevent it from making it to the chamber floor for a vote.
Democratic council members Angela Riley and Joe Burns stayed on as sponsors along with Friedman.
On July 6th, Republican council members also rejected a ‘Request for Legislation’ submitted by local artist, Kristen Nicole Mann, proposing the painting of a Black Lives Matter mural on Wall Street in downtown Binghamton. Council President, Thomas Scanlon, initially claimed Mann failed to submit the request but was corrected by Democratic members.
Scanlon eventually stated the Council could not vote on specific mural content, but only the process for requesting street art. The final determination would then be left to the City Clerk.
This stands in stark contrast with annual pavement paintings done for St. Patrick’s Day and Columbus Day, which are both sanctioned and implemented by the City. No explanation was given as to why those paintings are supported but the Black Lives Matter painting is not.
The vote for the generic street mural permit process was held Wednesday evening and passed unanimously. Although Mann’s initial request for the Black Lives Matter mural was made over a month ago, community members will have to wait even longer to see if it’s approved by the Clerk’s Office.
The Council also deliberated on Mayor Rich David’s proposed 2020 budget, which largely ignored community input for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) allocation and law enforcement spending.
David’s controversial decision to re-allocate CDBG funding at his discretion and provide $100,000 in additional funding to the Binghamton Police Department was established months ago, but formally revealed in June by his hand-picked “Change Coalition.”
Many residents submitted public comments Wednesday criticizing the Council’s handling of the City budget and proposed legislation supporting Black lives.
Binghamton University Professor Robert Wilson accused Republicans of “indifference” and “animus” for obstructing the public vote on Friedman’s anti-racism resolution. His comment can be read in full here. Another community member called-in to condemn all Republican council members (Giovanni Scaringi, Sophia Resciniti, Philip Strawn, and Thomas Scanlon) for exhibiting racism by deliberately derailing the mural proposal.
All four Republicans vehemently denied those accusations.
–R.D.