There can be no beauty in the orange asshole's America. Only destruction and hatred.

They want to eliminate all LGBT people and culture, and they'll destroy all art to do it Sorry for the Threads link, but this is a good read from Robin Haines Merrill, a Christian minister whose award-winning art is scheduled to be destroyed www.threads.com/@sister_robi...

That's such a beautiful piece of street art. Such performative, stupid cruelty to remove it.

And spiteful.

What the hell!!!!

Pussy’s all of them.

It’s been there for 8 years and desantis did this to it?

Typical MAGA “I am miserable and you should be,too!”

Such petty people.

Following a trail of breadcrumbs from replies on Bsky led me to this article: www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/08/29/f... "A possible explanation for all this lies in the fact that Florida has established legislation authorising the operation and testing of autonomous vehicles in the state."

How about an additional plaque... In the empty road space you see before you was once painted a mandala. Recognized as Tampa's first street mural, it was created by this neighborhood to help drivers slow down & to make our streets safer. The community spirit that created this will not be forgotten.

Looks like shit

I mean, from a political perspective you’re right, but mandalas are meant to be destroyed as a representation of the impermanence of life and the cycles of samsara. Repainting it would be exactly in line with Buddhist practice

Our neighbor joked that it's now a street mural of a black hole. The eternal suck.

It's so vindictive and petty. It reminds me of the Pulse memorial being erased and having a whole squad of cars "protecting" the scene. The forces of power believe they're immune from consequences, and they're lashing out against even the most symbolic things they find offensive

I would posit it stems directly from the Pulse memorial standoff that's going on They're gonna die on the hill of keeping that crosswalk rainbow-free, even if they have to destroy all intersection art in the whole damn state www.orlandoweekly.com/news/first-p...

DONT STOP! QUEER FOLX MAKE NO MISTAKE. THE FASCISTS ARE TRYING TO SUBMIT YOU THROUGH FEAR AND PROSECUTION. THIS IS HOW FASCISM OPERATES! THE ONLY WAY TO FIGHT BACK IS WITH COURAGE! RAINBOW MURALS EVERY BLOCK! QUEER BLOCK PARTY OUTSIDE PULSE W/ DESANTIS EFFIGY! FIGHT NOW OR IT WILL BE TOO LATE!

If all the cars are protecting that crosswalk, they're not watching other crosswalks.

Getting rid of street art? There goes the entire reason to go into downtown Venice.

WTF.

Florida, get organized! go.bsky.app/6ib8MaR

Ron De Santis is a turd

But vandalizing statues of confederate soldiers is heinous and horrendous.

Streets need to burn and heads need to roll, they won't be satisfied with any other outcome because it would "prove them right" Their goal is to eradicate all points of cultural pride and human expression until they break you and make you violent

STUPID! DeSantis won't be happy until the entire state is painted dull gray. Doom and gloom is what it will look like. No life. Not creativity. No light.

For anyone not in Florida who was like “um what is the context for this” (like me) “Tampa officials said crews will begin removing street art at 47 locations across the city this week following recent direction from the Florida Department of Transportation” www.wfla.com/news/hillsbo...

More good context here www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/08/29/f...

@shanewaring.bsky.social

Thank you for bringing context to the above post.

so Florida's government is officially pro-mass shootings now, huh?

Any way to find out just how much money is being spent to waste resources and do something that benefits no one by erasing all this art?

The people who ordered this...crush them to dust.

As a Canadian seeing this happen from across the border, I feel compelled to remind my American friends what they so often remind the rest of us about; they’re American, and you have a sacred duty to resist.

Dangit. They just repainted it last year: www.sshca.org/post/a-fresh...

What kind of horrible person gets all hyped up and demands that street paintings/murals be painted over? They need to get a life!

I will hold hope that it will be repainted. And many in the community choose to display it prominently on their personal property. I don't know this symbol or community, but I do know when individual voices speak together in unison they can drown out any ignorant controlling voice of fear.

Show me on the doll where the street painting hurt you, you miserable pieces of garbage. They are insufferable.

Right-wing politics is simply the death of the human soul. There's no other explanation for actions like this.

I bet that mandala finds its way back to the street some time.

Looks like a clear violation of the First Amendment.

So now the mural represents a yawning void of nothingness? Truly a symbol of the current Florida state administration (and also the current US Federal administration).

they arent going to care until people start breaking things.

meanwhile in upstate NY my town has been funding artists painting the grey utility boxes on the corners www.ithaca.com/news/21-boxe...

Now that's an idea! We do have many of those painted here in Tampa... But there are many more unpainted!

What would be the legal basis for this? It's not a public safety issue. It doesn't impede any functional aspects of the cul de sac. It's a recognized artwork by the city of Tampa protected by the first amendment.