Neighbors in East Nashville are not letting a white supremacist tag keep the last word. A large silo at a mulch lot off South 5th Street, marked with white supremacist graffiti that included a website linked to a known hate group, is now set to become a donation-funded community mural after the property owner teamed up with an anti-hate nonprofit. The markings sat on the structure for weeks before organizers moved to cover them, and local artists, volunteers, and residents say they plan to paint the silo once money and equipment are lined up.
The owner, who asked not to be named, told reporters the graffiti sits high on the silo and that conventional removal would mean renting an 80-foot lift, a cost he said he simply could not absorb on his own. He said the city declined his request for financial help. Metro Property Standards has issued a removal deadline, and officials have warned he could face a $50-a-day fine if the tag stays up. To get ahead of that clock, the owner and the nonprofit Hate Free Tennessee have launched a fundraiser on Chuffed.org and are commissioning a community mural to cover the markings, as reported by WSMV.
Why A Mural Instead Of Expensive Removal
Reaching the top of a silo is not cheap. Equipment listings show that 80-foot boom and telescopic lifts can carry daily and weekly rental rates from the high hundreds into the four-figure range, depending on model and location. Add in the cost of an operator, safety needs and any required permits for working at that height, and the price tag climbs fast. Those practical realities help explain why the owner and volunteers decided a painted cover was a better long-term solution than a one-time pressure wash or chemical removal. Current listings from Equipment Rental Pros show examples of rates on larger lifts similar to what would be needed for the silo.
Murals As A Practical Community Response
Cost is only part of the equation. Murals also give neighborhoods a way to reclaim a surface that had been used to broadcast hate and replace it with artwork they choose themselves. Conservation groups and mural programs point out that new pieces are often sealed with anti-graffiti coatings so future tagging can be removed more quickly without damaging the art beneath. That approach can make long-term upkeep easier than repeatedly stripping new tags from bare concrete or metal. For details on how murals are protected and maintained, see guidance from the Mural Conservancy.
Who Is Patriot Front
Patriot Front is a white supremacist organization that national watchdogs have followed for years. The Anti-Defamation League describes Patriot Front as a white supremacist movement, and the Southern Poverty Law Center has documented its coordinated propaganda campaigns. Local officials and residents treat visible Patriot Front links, including website addresses, as both a public safety and community standards concern. Readers can find background from the ADL and the Southern Poverty Law Center.
What Metro Can And Will Enforce
Metro’s Property Standards division is the part of city government that enforces property maintenance rules, issues notices and sets compliance deadlines. If owners do not comply, inspectors can pursue fines or other remedies under city code. Residents who spot graffiti or other violations can report them through the city’s hubNashville portal, and the Codes department handles follow-up inspections and notices. Metro outlines this process in its guidance for the notice program at Metro Nashville Property Standards.
What Comes Next
Organizers say the Chuffed fundraiser is intended to cover paint, lift rental and other supplies needed to safely reach and transform the silo’s surface. A timeline will be set once funding and equipment are secured. The owner says he is coordinating with Hate Free Tennessee and local muralists on both design and logistics so the artwork can go up as soon as everything is in place. Metro’s removal deadline still stands while the community effort ramps up, and the latest details on the fundraiser and mural plans are being tracked by WSMV.
