‘A slap in the face’: Council holds opposing views over BLM monument

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A new piece of artwork is going into downtown Wilmington. Wilmington City Council approved a Black Lives Matter monument Tuesday night, but not every council member was on board.

After a heated debate, Council approved the installation of the monument in a 5-2 vote.

“It’s just kind of disheartening to go through what we experienced and to hear those sentiments,” Councilman Kevin Spears said. “It’s about where we want to be as a city, but more about where we want to be as a society. It’s a race issue, but it’s really a humanitarian issue.”

Spears says he was sad to hear some of the opposing comments during the discussion Tuesday night. Initially, a Black Lives Matter mural was proposed to City Council, but the several different drafts of the proposal were presented over the last few months

“Using deflection as a mechanism to really stop something that’s totally meant to be positive, ” Spears said. “It’s not meant to be divisive. It’s just about inclusion. Not exclusion. Inclusion.”

Councilman Charlie Rivenbark, one of the dissenting votes, said the opposite though in a response he shared Wednesday.

“I’m against it because I think it’s very divisive,” Rivenbark said. “I think my comments (Tuesday night) were quite clear.”

At the meeting, Rivenbark vocalized his disagreement with the installation of the monument.

“To think black lives don’t matter is ‘ludicrous,’ Rivenbark said. “It makes me think that they don’t think that much of themselves.”

Spears says he thinks that’s a generalization towards Black people, and responded to Rivenbark’s comment by saying he knows his worth.

“It’s a slap in the face to our blackness,” Spears said. “I just felt like that was a slap in the face. It was basically a low blow.”

The 3-D monument will now read “Black Lives Do Matter” followed by “End Racism Now”. It will be built in Jervay Park near downtown Wilmington, visible from 3rd Street.

Still in disagreement, Rivenbark said, “All lives matter to me!”

Spears still calls the outcome a win, and says he hopes it brings positivity to the city.

“We’ll give people the opportunity to grow, and to learn from these experiences,” Spears said.

Spears says City Council will go through the planning process, and lay out details for the monument. It will stay up for one year.

It’s not yet clear when construction will officially start.