Let me try to get this all straight.
In 2020, six long years ago, the Dubuque city council was approached by a group who wanted to put a mural up on an available city wall and had already enlisted the artist whose idea they appreciated. The idea was to put up an image that would bring people together (all the planning was done in the shadow of the George Floyd tempest in the Twin Cities).
The local artist who created the image, Shelby Fry, suggested a series of raised fists, each of them a different color, "a visual statement of Dubuque’s commitment to building a welcoming community where all residents have the opportunity to thrive," in the words of the council.
It wasn't a forever project. The mural went up in about a week, having been painted by literally dozens of locals, who did so in shifts directed by the artist. So, for the record, the Solidarity mural has been "on the east side of the Five Flags Civic Center on Main Street in downtown Dubuque" for six years stedfastly preaching the gospel of solidarity.
And it hasn't moved. It's become its own kind of citizen of the city.
Until last Saturday, when locals caught sight of a huge tarp mysteriously covering the mural. Almost immediately, Dubuque's own put two and two together. On Sunday, you see, President Donald Trump was coming to town for a final election rally seeking to thrill his townspeople. There had to be a connection.
The city authorized the removal of the tarp, and it came down.
As did Donald Trump just two days later, despite what he might think or say of himself or his bad fortune.
You want to know why?
There are a thousand reasons, but the people of Dubuque know one of them very, very well: because his minions decided that a solidarity mural wasn't the story Trump's visit wanted to tell. Trump isn't into solidarity.
Trump didn't get his clock cleaned because of a tarp in Dubuque--and yet he did. But if you know the story of Dubuque's mural, you can't help but sense the reason he got whomped on Tuesday. Something died in voting booths all over the country.
Thank goodness. . .literally, thank goodness.
1 comment:
Quite the story! US citizens everywhere (well almost everywhere) stood up to this dictator. I hope and pray that we can all work together as a country to start over from a better place. It was so good to hear people who were elected speak without crude and cruel remarks which we have become so used to hearing.
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