Tampa officials reviewing controversial ‘Back the Blue’ street mural

The city of Tampa is reviewing the controversial “Back the Blue” street mural pro-police volunteers painted over the weekend without the proper permitting.

The groups behind the project, Back the Blue Florida and Tampa Community of Patriots, applied for a permit, but one was not approved before they painted the street.

Doing so violated a number of city codes, including blocking a city street without a permit.

“It is unlawful for any person to place in or upon any place, street, sidewalk, alley, landing, wharf or pier owned or controlled by the city and located within the city limits any article or thing without a permit therefor, unless such article or thing is otherwise authorized by law,” city code section 22-8 a states.

Under the code, the city is authorized to remove the object at the owner’s expense.

In this case, the mural organizers violated code by using personal vehicles and cones to block portions of a city street and they potentially violated the ordinance by painting the street, which in some areas obscured road markings necessary for traffic safety like lane dividers.

But the city has not yet decided what it will do about the mural.

The city is reviewing the situation and, once the review is complete, will make recommendations about modifications to the mural design and location, according to Tampa Mayor Jane Castor’s spokeswoman, Ashley Bauman.

“We haven’t come across this situation until now,” Bauman said, noting the city’s street mural program is still relatively new.

Under the city’s Paint the Intersection guide, organizers must obtain a permit before laying any paint. They are also required to maintain the mural once it’s painted. Any time new paint is required, groups must obtain a new permit.

That’s made more complicated now. The mural was found defaced overnight, smothered with red and black paint.

The mural was immediately controversial, not only for its contentious political messaging — those who support Black Lives Matter see the Back the Blue movement as counter to their own calls for an end to police brutality and systemic racism — but for its design.

Images of the mural quickly flooded social media channels with comments criticizing the mural for being illegible. Commenters have said the “Back the Blue” language looks more like “Bock the Blup” or “Bork the Bluf,” and myriad other interpretations.

Comedian Patton Oswalt even weighed in, sarcastically saying he “will always Blrbk the Blub.”

Are you kidding? That looks great. I will always Blrbk the Blub https://t.co/pukqEmpBqS

— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) August 3, 2020

Florida Politics reached out to organizers. The Back the Blue Florida Facebook group has about 6,000 members.