Althouse: I went back to State Street this morning and saw how the murals have changed...

June 8, 2020

I went back to State Street this morning and saw how the murals have changed...

CCC31FFC-1638-462E-9C05-2FC7CDF1D762_1_201_a

F5F258F3-C195-49E1-A4EF-831A2B506810_1_201_a

D5CE9257-C262-4A91-B683-8F145D17D84B_1_201_a

D3F9501C-1764-41FD-8AFE-35BE29711346_1_201_a

D8592CE0-DFF4-40E0-8195-7ED07F7B2F21_1_201_a

89 comments:

Ken B said...: I told you you'd have to get used to seeing the fist. In church you see crosses, in Riotopia you see fists.; 6/8/20, 1:26 PM
Kevin said...: Why no picture of a woman from behind in the one with the fist?; 6/8/20, 1:26 PM
wild chicken said...: Oh, as a woman I feel that the image of a fist is just so, so compelling! So defiant!

*swoons*; 6/8/20, 1:30 PM
TreeJoe said...: Totally seeing the trees here, but Trayvon Martin's name should not be included in those. The mythology around him is ridiculous.

Castile, Floyd, Taylor....now those folks got executed by police and deserve this movement.; 6/8/20, 1:33 PM
grog said...: Interesting. More blacks in the murals than on the street.

Can someone from the area tell me what "Poke" is in the last picture?; 6/8/20, 1:35 PM
Craig said...: It's all SWPL.; 6/8/20, 1:36 PM
cubanbob said...: I live in Miami and I see much better graffiti and street art in Wynwood than that.

Perhaps if vandalism is going to be the fashion, those retail front's and restaurants can save money by making the plywood permanent.; 6/8/20, 1:38 PM
rhhardin said...: Mark Steyn suggests Plywood Thursday in celebration.; 6/8/20, 1:41 PM
Ann Althouse said...: “ Can someone from the area tell me what "Poke" is in the last picture?”

Just a bowl of food.; 6/8/20, 1:41 PM
Dave Begley said...: I see Madison now has a poke place. Every sorority girl needs poke now and then.; 6/8/20, 1:41 PM
Tommy Duncan said...: All I see are pasty legs in need of sunshine. Otherwise it's the usual Madison woke BS.; 6/8/20, 1:41 PM
Dave Begley said...: When we went to a poke place in Lincoln (near the Greek houses) my Santa Clara alum daughter said, "I've had better poke."; 6/8/20, 1:42 PM
I'm Not Sure said...: I guess "We're on your side!" is too obvious?; 6/8/20, 1:45 PM
hstad said...: AA - my take on this is not the messaging itself, which at this level was more for protection! Hell, your "State Street" is no different versus Fortune 500 CEOs groveling at the foot of the 'meme of the day'"BLM". Just look at that crook, "Jaime Dimon" CEO of JPMorgan - Chase, taking a knee at one of his branches - LOL - self-preservation. The fictional, from the blockbuster TV Show 'Game of Thrones', showed the desirable type of quality best!Jon Snow never"bend the knee" to Daenerys Targaryen - one of the great 'memes' of that show. AA - just goes to show very few people have principles they adhere to in 'real life'.; 6/8/20, 1:48 PM
Gusty Winds said...: Hopefully Madison will leave it that way for while. The plywood canvas offers more symbolism than the art.; 6/8/20, 1:50 PM
hstad said...: Blogger TreeJoe said..."Castile, Floyd, Taylor....now those folks got executed by police and deserve this movement..." 6/8/20, 1:33 PM

I find your use of the word, "executed"[you mean carry out a sentence of death] as being "ridiculous".; 6/8/20, 1:52 PM
PM said...: Poke is raw ahi tuna surrounded by other divine stuff.; 6/8/20, 1:54 PM
alanc709 said...: OT: They're using OSB, not plywood, looks like. Hope it's weather-treated or it won't last too many rains.; 6/8/20, 1:59 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: the visual-art virtue signalling is hard on the eyes

...the performance art virtue signalling is hard on the knees

Watch Dem Pols Trying to Get Up; 6/8/20, 1:59 PM
William said...: Every shop owner in Madison is okay with the breaking of the windows and looting of their stores. You just have to read what's posted on their storefronts. They know they had it coming and that it was a small price for social justice. This is a truly inspiring story of racial healing. I'm sure they can't wait to rebuild and that the value of their properties have gone up astronomically.; 6/8/20, 2:00 PM
Craig said...: SWPL now includes fists, masks, and working the word "privilege" into as many sentences as possible.; 6/8/20, 2:00 PM
Dave Begley said...: Poke is from Hawaii. It is pronounced "po - kay."; 6/8/20, 2:01 PM
Right Man said...: No murals celebrating Floyd's porn career? Or the giant Freemason tattoo on his chest?; 6/8/20, 2:03 PM
Big Mike said...: Names like Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, and, especially, Michael Brown do not belong with Tamir Rice and Breonna Taylor. The sign is an obscenity.; 6/8/20, 2:03 PM
bagoh20 said...: On the mural with names, it's insulting to include some of those names with the others. Some we're innocent victims, who did nothing to deserve their fate, and some were violent criminals who gave their victims no choice but to kill them in self-defense. Whoever put that up has no idea what justice is, and is morally bankrupt. They insult the memory of decent people by including them with criminals based on the color of their skin. Just flat out racist.; 6/8/20, 2:15 PM
stevew said...: The pandering of these establishments, brands, and commercial enterprises has become amusing, particularly their efforts to one-up each other. I don't think it is just me that sees this for the transparent attempt to curry favor with potential, and past, customers, in the hopes of generating future revenue that it is.

Oh they are so brave and courageous to risk so much.; 6/8/20, 2:19 PM
bagoh20 said...: What has the education system done to our kid's minds. Do they perform secret lobotomies?; 6/8/20, 2:25 PM
AllenS said...: What a depressing view of a street in the state of Wisconsin.; 6/8/20, 2:26 PM
walter said...: Looks like you were taking these in guerilla fashion.
Oh no..I didn't mean..that.
How's the swashbuckling Syrian guy's place?; 6/8/20, 2:27 PM
Static Ping said...: They won't eat you last.; 6/8/20, 2:28 PM
Char Char Binks, Esq. said...: HANDS UP OR I’LL SHOOT!; 6/8/20, 2:29 PM
walter said...: What They’re Fighting For In Madison
Fun stuff on Freedom, Inc.
Includes an appearance by Tony the Paper Tiger!; 6/8/20, 2:33 PM
rcocean said...: I love how that mural has "Emmitt Till" from 1955, yoked with Mike Brown who assaulted a policeman, Trayvon Martin - killed in a struggle over a gun with a Hispanic, and Freddie Gray who died at the hands of the Baltimore Police - which had a black mayor, a black majority city council, a Black Police Chief, and a black van driver who caused his death.

But the Mural writer is giving us propaganda, not truth.; 6/8/20, 2:50 PM
rcocean said...: What no mural of Mitt Romney, marching for Black Lives matter?; 6/8/20, 2:50 PM
n.n said...: It will be interesting to see if Covid-19 or drugs is listed as the cause of Floyd's death. Also, once the warlock judges ("protestors") go home, and due process is followed, will there be an explanation (e.g. psychoactive drugs, disparate strength) for restraining the suspect to protect him and the officer.; 6/8/20, 2:57 PM
John Scott said...: Bowl of Ahi tuna; 6/8/20, 2:57 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: I like the mural of Mr. Floyd.

All this destruction and rage is for him. won't bring him back. Too bad there is zero discussion on the need for the Minneapolis democrats, who control everything, to fix their problems. Their collective response is to wipe out the entire police dept.

How about some changes to procedure? Never ever sit on a man's neck.; 6/8/20, 3:00 PM
smitty said...: Any plywood postings of the trashed out store owners or the now jobless employees?; 6/8/20, 3:09 PM
brylun said...: It doesn't look like anything is open on State street...; 6/8/20, 3:10 PM
Inga said...: Reasons I love Madison, the creativity, the spunk, the quirkiness, the optimism. Madison will survive and come back better than ever.; 6/8/20, 3:29 PM
Mark Jones said...: "On the mural with names, it's insulting to include some of those names with the others. Some we're innocent victims, who did nothing to deserve their fate, and some were violent criminals who gave their victims no choice but to kill them in self-defense. Whoever put that up has no idea what justice is, and is morally bankrupt. They insult the memory of decent people by including them with criminals based on the color of their skin. Just flat out racist."

Absolutely true. But you do think the mural artist would have DARED to make that distinction to his fellow travelers (even if he agreed with you)? When you're riding a tiger you better damn well make sure you stay on its back....; 6/8/20, 3:31 PM
Richard Dolan said...: It's all so bold and fearless. Such warriors! I can feel the frisson from a thousand miles away.; 6/8/20, 3:33 PM
rehajm said...: Have your fun now. All those boarded up store fronts won't be so appealing six months from now.; 6/8/20, 3:36 PM
narciso said...: they aren't giving up the bodycam evidence of the incident, that makes me twitchy,; 6/8/20, 3:39 PM
TheOne Who Is Not Obeyed said...: An elevated, clenched fist is no different from an elevated, palm-downward, open hand. Both symbolize the struggle for total control of people by ideological oppressors.; 6/8/20, 3:44 PM
RK said...: One mural had the name of every black man killed by a white-white or a white-Hispanic. Not as many as I would've thought.; 6/8/20, 3:51 PM
Big Mike said...: Madison will survive and come back better than ever.

Some places took thirty or forty years to come back from the riots in 1968. Detroit never did come back. Perhaps Madison’s status as a capital city and college town will help it come back.; 6/8/20, 3:53 PM
Fernandinande said...: Floyd's autopsy

He had:

A.Arteriosclerotic heart disease, multifocal, severe
B.Hypertensive heart disease
- 1.Cardiomegaly (540 g) with mild biventricular dilatation
- 2.Clinical history of hypertension

He also had:

II.No life-threatening injuries identified

A.No facial, oral mucosal, or conjunctival petechiae
B.No injuries of anterior muscles of neck or laryngeal structures C.No scalp soft tissue, skull, or brain injuries

(A & B = no sign of being choked or strangled)

And he also had:

VI.Toxicology (see attached report for full details; testing performed on antemortem blood specimens collected 5/25/20 at 9:00 p.m. at HHC and on postmortem urine)

A. Blood drug and novel psychoactive substances screens:

1. Fentanyl 11 ng/mL (fatal dose unless you're acclimated)
2. Norfentanyl 5.6 ng/mL (metabolite of fentanyl)
3. 4-ANPP 0.65 ng/mL (chemical used to make fentanyl)
4. Methamphetamine 19 ng/mL
5. 11-Hydroxy Delta-9 THC 1.2 ng/mL;
-- Delta-9 Carboxy THC 42 ng/mL; Delta-9 THC 2.9 ng/mL
6. Cotinine positive (nicotine metabolite)
7. Caffeine positive

B. Blood volatiles: negative for ethanol, methanol, isopropanol, or acetone

NECK: Layer by layer dissection of the anterior strap muscles of the neck discloses no areas of contusion or hemorrhage within the musculature. The thyroid cartilage and hyoid bone are intact [hyoid bone is sometimes broken during strangulation]. The larynx is lined by intact mucosa.

(IOW, his neck was fine, no signs of strangulation or other injury)

Here's his criminal history (along with some dishonest editorializing): home invasion threatening a pregnant woman pointing a gun at her stomach, theft and robbery, "trespassing", and several instances of cocaine possession/dealing.

There's also a video showing him dropping a bag of white drugs on the sidewalk as he was being arrested.; 6/8/20, 3:59 PM
Ken B said...: “Reasons I love Madison, the creativity, the spunk, the quirkiness, the optimism. Madison will survive and come back better than ever.” Inga
“Reasons I love London, the creativity, the spunk, the quirkiness, the optimism. London will survive and come back better than ever.” H Göring; 6/8/20, 4:01 PM
I'm Not Sure said...: "Madison will survive and come back better than ever."

Whatever it is, it's got to better than what's there now. So they've got that going for them, which is nice.; 6/8/20, 4:05 PM
tcrosse said...: I can't remember who, back in the 70's, did this at a concert:
"This means Peace", making V sign.
"This means Right On", raising fist.
"Together they make a bunny rabbit." placing them together.; 6/8/20, 4:06 PM
DavidUW said...: Madison won't survive if the UW moves to more online "learning."

Period.

Oh, the government drones will still exist, but at that point it'll be no different than Albany.

You better support full reopening of the UW if you love madison.; 6/8/20, 4:16 PM
Amadeus 48 said...: So, where are we on renaming Madison? The 4th president owned slaves. He looks ripe for he chop. Let’s show some creativity, some spunkiness, some quiky optimism.

Floydville sounds a little little, especially if you remember Floyd Little. Floydtown or Floydston? St. Floyd, like St. Louis or St. Paul? Floyd City?

I like Floydston.; 6/8/20, 4:20 PM
bagoh20 said...: I thought people were just misinformed, but now I think it's purposeful. They know many of these things are untrue. They've heard the truth. They are now purposefully pushing the lies just to create anger and discord. They are trying to trigger people who care about the truth.; 6/8/20, 4:29 PM
bagoh20 said...: Now we need a mural with the names of all the cops killed trying to protect minority neighborhoods. Why don't these people care about minorities?; 6/8/20, 4:32 PM
Drago said...: rcocean: "What no mural of Mitt Romney, marching for Black Lives matter?"

Its right next to the mural painted in 2012 where a "literal theocratic Hitler" Romney is putting black people back in chains.; 6/8/20, 4:33 PM
I'm Not Sure said...: "42 businesses responded by saying they don’t think they will be reopening at all."

From that same article:

"The Boys and Girls Club of Dane County started a GoFund Me and raised over $200,000 for small businesses. Starting next week, a committee made up of diverse community representatives will review the applications and determine how to divvy up the funds."

Somehow, it's necessary to tell everybody that the committee will be made up of "diverse" representatives? I swear- progressives are worse than vegans.; 6/8/20, 4:35 PM
tim maguire said...: Fernanidine, thanks for posting the report. There's some interesting stuff in there, but most of it is salacious and not relevant to whether Chauvin's actions were the proximate cause if Floyd's death. (I.e., it doesn't matter if he had a heart attack if he wouldn't have had it but for chauvin's kneeling on his neck); 6/8/20, 4:48 PM
walter said...: narciso said...they aren't giving up the bodycam evidence of the incident, that makes me twitchy,
--
That comes up in this discussion:
Ep. 64 INSURRECTION; 6/8/20, 4:48 PM
Known Unknown said...: "Reasons I love Madison, the creativity, the spunk, the quirkiness, the optimism. Madison will survive and come back better than ever."

You can have all of that without breaking the windows in the first place.; 6/8/20, 4:59 PM
Jupiter said...: Where are all those people going? Is anything open?; 6/8/20, 5:19 PM
narciso said...: it's like some bizarre dystopic episode of sliders, or the twilight zone,; 6/8/20, 5:21 PM
Big Mike said...: I keep reading that list picture as "Puke Plus." Don't think I want to eat there.; 6/8/20, 5:41 PM
brylun said...: What happens to these businesses if the students don't return to campus in the fall?; 6/8/20, 5:46 PM
narciso said...: they are burning the country down, in his name, we want to know who this false idol is really,; 6/8/20, 6:05 PM
Paco Wové said...: Does anyone understand the statement in the bottom picture — "a Orange gon come"? What?; 6/8/20, 6:06 PM
n.n said...: made up of "diverse" representatives? I swear- progressives are worse than vegans.

Progressives are Pro-Choice. They subscribe to the doctrine of diversity (i.e. color judgments or denial of individual dignity) including racism, sexism, genderism (?), classicism, etc. #HateLovesAbortion; 6/8/20, 6:15 PM
walter said...: Jupiter said...Where are all those people going? Is anything open?
--
Gals gotta break in their new shoos.; 6/8/20, 6:32 PM
BUMBLE BEE said...: Blow your harmonica son...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=341&v=Dtk2gozGtbg&feature=emb_logo; 6/8/20, 6:35 PM
tcrosse said...: They'd better hang on to all that art material in case the cops' trial doesn't go the way the mob wants.; 6/8/20, 6:44 PM
Paul Doty said...: Yeah, that's so much nicer than actual open, working businesses.; 6/8/20, 7:21 PM
Anne-I-Am said...: Why the Hell are these people venerating George Floyd? He was a long-time criminal, in and out of prison, with a serious rap sheet. He held a gun to a black, pregnant woman's belly so that he and his homies could ransack her home and rob her.

Candace Owens has it right: Blacks are the only group of people in America who hold us as heroes people who should be seen as predators and a danger to the community.; 6/8/20, 7:39 PM
exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...: AllenS said...
What a depressing view of a street in the state of Wisconsin.

6/8/20, 2:26 PM

Yes, it is. Thank goodness I have neither a reason nor any desire whatsover to visit Madison ever again.; 6/8/20, 8:36 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: He held a gun to a black, pregnant woman's belly so that he and his homies could ransack her home and rob her.

that won't be on CNN.; 6/8/20, 9:09 PM
Tommy Duncan said...: BTW, the mayor still looks like W.C. Fields.; 6/8/20, 9:20 PM
Jason said...: It is not pronounced "Poh-kaaaaay."

It rhymes with "smokey."

Not just ahi, either. Could be any seafood. Tako poke (octopus) was even more common than ahi poke when I was growing up (it was cheaper!).

These trendy mainland poke shops are nothing like Hawaiian poke, though.; 6/8/20, 10:26 PM
exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...: And so - people are going in sit inside those boarded-up restaurants with no view of the sun, the sidewalks, the people walking past? In restaurants, if I can't sit outside, I always like a table by the windows. It's an important part of the ambiance.

Even if they paint the interiors with lovely murals (and I expect they won't be lovely, but more trite agit-prop), you're still sitting inside an enclosed box without natural light.

Madison's new normal. No thanks.; 6/8/20, 10:34 PM
techsan said...: Paint over:

To cover something up with paint so as to hide or obscure it. A noun or pronoun can be used between "paint" and "out."
Staff were quick to paint over the obscene graffiti on the side of the gymnasium.
Someone came by and painted certain words over that were featured on the mural on Main Street.

What needed to be hidden or obscured?; 6/8/20, 11:18 PM
Char Char Binks, Esq. said...: tim maguire, it’s relevant that Chauvin’s knee wouldn’t have been on Floyd’s neck if Floyd hadn’t resisted a lawful arrest, and he wouldn’t have been arrested if he hadn’t passed a bogus $20 bill and stolen cigarettes (reminiscent of Michael Brown and Eric Garner), and if he hadn’t been too drugged-addled to leave the scene after passing that bill and stealing those smokes, and he wouldn’t have been a lifelong criminal and drug addict if he hadn’t been a piece of shit from birth.; 6/8/20, 11:27 PM
Char Char Binks, Esq. said...: tim maguire, it’s relevant that Chauvin’s knee wouldn’t have been on Floyd’s neck if Floyd hadn’t resisted a lawful arrest, and he wouldn’t have been arrested if he hadn’t passed a bogus $20 bill and stolen cigarettes (reminiscent of Michael Brown and Eric Garner), and if he hadn’t been too drugged-addled to leave the scene after passing that bill and stealing those smokes, and he wouldn’t have been a lifelong criminal and drug addict if he hadn’t been a piece of shit from birth.; 6/8/20, 11:27 PM
Char Char Binks, Esq. said...: tim maguire, it’s relevant that Chauvin’s knee wouldn’t have been on Floyd’s neck if Floyd hadn’t resisted a lawful arrest, and he wouldn’t have been arrested if he hadn’t passed a bogus $20 bill and stolen cigarettes (reminiscent of Michael Brown and Eric Garner), and if he hadn’t been too drugged-addled to leave the scene after passing that bill and stealing those smokes, and he wouldn’t have been a lifelong criminal and drug addict if he hadn’t been a piece of shit from birth.; 6/8/20, 11:27 PM
rhhardin said...: The plan is, after the police force is disbanded, to get protection from a protection racket run by black people. Probably males, by the way.; 6/9/20, 4:59 AM
Clyde said...: Careful, Char Char, if you say it three times, he might just appear like Beetlejuice.; 6/9/20, 6:39 AM
Al said...: "Does anyone understand the statement in the bottom picture — "a Orange gon come"? What?"

It's "A Change gon come." Sam Cooke song,; 6/9/20, 7:16 AM
Nichevo said...: Jason said...
It is not pronounced "Poh-kaaaaay."

It rhymes with "smokey."

-So, poky, pokie. Thanks for that!

Not just ahi, either. Could be any seafood. Tako poke (octopus) was even more common than ahi poke when I was growing up (it was cheaper!).

-I've seen tuna and salmon, maybe 3/4" cubes, mixed with some dressing stop some kind of salad base. Raw octopus must be a bear to chew.

These trendy mainland poke shops are nothing like Hawaiian poke, though.

-Please, tell us more. Links if possible.; 6/9/20, 7:37 AM
Nichevo said...: Char Char Binks said...
tim maguire, it’s relevant that Chauvin’s knee wouldn’t have been on Floyd’s neck if Floyd hadn’t resisted a lawful arrest

Granting all that you say, CC, the officer's conduct is still concerning. I look forward to his defense at trial, and hope for all the facts to come out.; 6/9/20, 7:38 AM
Jason said...: From the WaPo: Hawaiian poke has never been trendier. But the mainland is ruining it.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/the-poke-bowls-swarming-dc-are-tasty-but-dont-call-them-authentic-hawaiian-food/2017/07/26/8de42e6c-6bf3-11e7-96ab-5f38140b38cc_story.html

Some more poke, as presented in Hawaii, with pics.

https://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/2006/10/poke_on_maui_a_.html

Traditionally, if poke isn't made at home, it's bought at a specialty store or supermarket, which runs it like a deli section. You buy it by the pound.

There are a number of recipes with different ingredients, but the seafood was ALWAYS prominent.

The modern "poke bowl restaurant" is a creation of the last few years, and is designed for Californians and midwesterners who wish they were Californians.

The Hawaiians would much rather be eating it uncut from Foodland's poke counter. Or making it with whatever seafood they caught that day.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g60626-d10511868-i224880170-Foodland_Princeville-Princeville_Kauai_Hawaii.html. Something like this is quite typical in most neighborhood grocery supermarkets. They sell it, too. By the end of the day they'll be out of a lot of it!

Some more examples, here.
https://gastronomyblog.com/2015/02/11/best-poke-honolulu/

As for the octopus, Tako poke is cooked. :-)

It's really one of the most awesome regional cuisines in the country. The mainlanders have no idea what they're missing! :-); 6/9/20, 2:02 PM
Jason said...: Up next, GAS STATION SPAM MUSUBI!; 6/9/20, 2:07 PM
Bunkypotatohead said...: 42% of those businesses won't reopen. Madison is going to need to figure out how to generate tax revenues from all that plywood. Maybe charge a fee to look at it as you pass by.

As for the $200k Go fund me donation, it can be used to open a Planned Parenthood abortion mill for all those black lives that don't matter.; 6/9/20, 3:43 PM