The Salt Lake City Council is poised to decide the future of a deteriorating mural at Fleet Block, which has served as a poignant memorial for those who have lost their lives in police incidents across the state and nation. Once a city fleet maintenance hub, the ten-acre space between 300 and 400 West and 800 and 900 South in the Granary District now displays over twenty murals honoring individuals who have been killed by police or who have died while in police custody, according to FOX13.
In a previous action, back in 2023, the City Council moved to rezone the block, and now, families of those memorialized at Fleet Block have met with the city to discuss potential plans for the murals, with the media barred from the Thursday night meeting, families of the victims represented on the walls also took part in the debate about the site's future, reflecting an undercurrent of uncertainty and concern within the community as outlined in multiple sources. Rae Duckworth, operating chairperson of Black Lives Matter Utah, expressed the emotional weight of the situation, saying, “It’s definitely heavy on the heart, we’re walking into a space as a collective of mourning grieving families and we’re supposed to hopefully walk out with our heads up, and it’s just kind of unknown,” as per KSLTV.
The murals gained prominence following the death of George Floyd, with the site evolving into a community nexus for both remembrance and protest. According to KSL, the city has candidly stated that the Fleet Block structures are unsound and cannot be rehabilitated, further complicated by contaminated soil needing environmental remediation. The city's redevelopment plans currently include demolishing the murals but promise the creation of a memorial space and commissioned artwork.
As the Salt Lake City Council deliberates the fate of the murals, advocates, and relatives hope to maintain the momentum of awareness around issues of policing, "Something needs to change in our policing so our officers are safe just as much as our lives are. These things shouldn't happen on the regular basis that they do," said one supporter, as per KSL.
