by Trei Johnson – The Gabber

Unitarian Universalist Church of St. Petersburg’s Rev. Ben Atherton-Zeman spoke out after the State dropped charges against him and Rev. Andrew Oliver, pastor of St. Pete’s Allendale United Methodist Church. But the case isn’t closed yet.

On Aug. 29, FDOT crews were scheduled to paint over a “Black History Matters” mural on 9th Avenue South. Atherton-Zeman and Oliver kneeled down to pray on the mural and to prevent FDOT machinery from erasing American history.

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation in June mandating the removal of all socially conscious art from Florida roadways. The statewide mandate affected art on sidewalks, roadways, curbs, and crosswalks. DeSantis threatened to pull transportation funding from cities if they did not remove the murals by the deadline.

It’s an act that Reverend Ben calls a “fascist plot to erase Black History.”

Peaceful Demonstration

Atherton-Zeman said the mural in front of the Woodson African American Museum was the first to be erased.

“I ran into my car to get a pillow, cause I’m old and my knees hurt, and I went down with my pillow and then we prayed for literally a couple of minutes before the police asked ‘What are you doing? Can you do it on the sidewalk?’,” he said.

He said to the officers that he was “really called to pray here on the ‘Black History Matters’ mural.”

“I’m praying that it will not be removed tonight. I don’t think you can erase Black history,” he said that night.

Eventually, they did.

The two St. Pete pastors received a misdemeanor charge of “Resisting an Officer without violence” and a citation for obstructing traffic.

“We live in a state where books are banned for teaching accurate Black history and that somehow is not a crime,” Atherton-Zeman said. “A teacher’s punished for teaching accurate Black history and somehow that’s not a crime. It’s a crime when I kneel down and pray in the middle of a piece of art that’s about to be erased by the state and it says ‘Black History Matters.’”

Dropped Charges

The Assistant State Attorney Jordan Meyer prosecuting the case dropped the misdemeanor charge for both men. Meyer said in court documents “the facts and circumstances revealed do not warrant prosecution at this time.”

However, the traffic citation remains and it carries a $62.50 charge.

“We still owe a fine [of] $62.50 for whatever, and I don’t know if I want to pay that,” he said.

Atherton-Zeman said they’ve asked people to donate $62.50 to the Woodson African American Museum, and people have.

Additionally, Atherton-Zeman expressed relief over the dismissed charges. He credits his attorney, Florida State Rep. Michele Rayner, for pushing the State Attorney to dismiss the misdemeanor charge.

But, he is hesitant to pay the traffic fine out of principle.

“I don’t think what I did was wrong,” he said.

“It’s not only my responsibility when the law itself is immoral, violates people’s rights, [and] violates democratic principles. If obeying that law will cause further harm, I must break that law,” Atherton-Zeman said. “That’s how I was feeling that night. I cannot just stand by and let ‘Black History Matters’ [mural] be erased. This is my line in the asphalt. I got to put my knees down.”

Atherton-Zeman stated that laws forcing cities to erase messages and silencing people who bring awareness to social injustice is history repeating itself.

Practicing Passive Resistance

Atherton-Zeman said he will continue to peacefully oppose the injustices of the world.

“I think progressive movements are stereotyped as being violent. So for my part, I’m not going to use violence,” he said.

He said history has shown that law enforcement violently responds when demonstrators show even the slightest sign of aggressive resistance. Especially marginalized groups of people.

He said he is hopeful that others will take action to stop our country from turning into a “fascist” society. Atherton-Zeman believes every American is entitled to equal constitutional rights. 

“I would follow the leadership of Black and brown leaders wherever you are,” Atherton-Zeman said. “There are incredible progressive leaders in the area. Just find somebody whose voice you believe in and follow them.”