In a quiet yet significant action, the city of Santa Barbara, California, has ultimately taken down a mural of George Floyd that had been a focal point of controversy and repeated vandalism. Created on the side of a downtown building during the peak of the 2020 unrest, the mural’s removal is being celebrated by many as a long-overdue move towards overcoming the divisive politics of the post-George Floyd period.
Local news outlet Noozhawk verified that the mural was removed from the side of a downtown lounge on January 8, 2025, after the property owner could no longer tolerate the ongoing vandalism. In essence: the community had voiced its opinion.
Unsurprisingly, left-wing activists and city officials are mourning the removal. Santa Barbara City Councilman Oscar Gutierrez described the action as “heartbreaking,” attributing it to what he referred to as “hate” within the community. “It breaks my heart to know that there are members of our community that are so full of hate,” he remarked, seemingly equating opposition to the glorification of a criminal figure with prejudice.
James Joyce III, the founder of a local activist organization, also voiced his disappointment, asserting, “That mural represented Santa Barbara’s small part in a global movement.” However, the pressing question remains: what movement, precisely?
While the media and activist circles portrayed the mural as a symbol of “empathy and tolerance,” millions of Americans perceived it quite differently—a glorification of an individual with an extensive criminal record, whose death, though tragic, was leveraged to rationalize violent riots, anti-police sentiments, and the emergence of radical movements such as Black Lives Matter.
It is important to remember: the aftermath of Floyd’s death was not peaceful. It resulted in billions in damages, numerous fatalities, soaring crime rates, and the demoralization of police forces nationwide. For many in Santa Barbara and across the nation, these murals do not signify healing—they symbolize chaos, division, and a betrayal of law and order.
Moreover, it is not only Santa Barbara that is retracting.
A similar mural was taken down in Salt Lake City, Utah, in April 2025 from an unoccupied building designated for redevelopment. Activists there also lamented the disappearance of what they referred to as a “sacred place.” However, as Salt Lake City Council Member Darin Mano highlighted, the building was not even structurally sound. “These buildings were no longer structurally or environmentally viable,” he remarked, emphasizing that the area will now be converted into a beneficial green space for the community.
What is truly occurring here is that Americans are becoming fatigued by being inundated with symbolic gestures that fail to address genuine issues. Communities are beginning to resist—not out of animosity, but from a yearning for unity, lawfulness, and sincere dialogue.
The removal of the Floyd mural in Santa Barbara did not signify an erasure of history. Rather, it represented a move towards reclaiming public space for the common good—a subtle yet resolute statement that it is time to cease glorifying lawlessness and to start reconstructing our communities based on values that bring us together, rather than those that separate us.