Salt Lake City murals remembering those killed by police face demolition as part of city rezoning plan

SALT LAKE CITY ( ABC4 ) — City-owned buildings in Salt Lake City’s Granary District featuring murals of people killed by police are set to be demolished, and family members are looking to make sure that, if they are, the memories of their loved ones live on elsewhere.

The murals are familiar to anyone living in Salt Lake City — they are done in red and pink paint and are located on the Fleet Block, between 300 and 400 West and 800 and 900 South. The city previously used the area for a fleet maintenance facility that has since been relocated.

In the summer of 2020, the block property became a focal point of community interest amid calls for social justice and police reform — a conversation that gained widespread national attention following the murder of George Floyd that same year.

The Fleet Block became a gathering place to remember those killed by police, and to protest racial injustice throughout the country.

Why are the buildings being demolished?

It’s part of a rezoning plan. The city said the previous zoning district, Public Land, allowed uses such as government buildings, but the new zoning will allow for more “flexible, community-oriented development, such as community resource spaces, affordable family housing, and public space,” according to the Salt Lake City Council.

The city also said the buildings currently on the Fleet Block are unstable and cannot be salvaged — though they have not made any plans to replace the murals as of now. City representatives met with family members of those depicted in the murals on Thursday to talk about it.

“People don’t understand unless you’re family,” Gina Thayne, family member of Dillon Taylor, who was killed in Aug. 2014, stated, “that that has been a healing space, and a conversation space, and an awareness space.”

Thayne said she believed city representatives were trying to listen, but that she thought it was more “based on the fact that ‘Yes, this is ‘gonna happen.’ There’s no more talking about it.”

Ruby Mercado, sister of Jovany Mercado, who was killed in Aug. 2019, offered another sentiment: “I shouldn’t have to feel grateful for his picture being up there. But I am, and to see it come down, or being heard that it’s going to come down, is feeling like he’s going to be forgotten again.”

Many family members also said they were upset that Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall wasn’t at the meeting to hear their voices Thursday night.

As far as when it will happen, while redevelopment plans do, in fact, lead to the demolition of the existing buildings, there is no set timeline on the process at this point.

And plans for the future? The city looks to make the southeast portion of the block a public square, featuring commissioned artwork and creating “open space in a part of the city that has historically lacked green and open space,” the rezoning plans state, though the zoning decision doesn’t state the “exact uses or design of the future public square.”

“Those uses and designs will be determined after the rezoning of the block,” the city council said. “The City will begin a public process, which includes working with the community to determine the design and future use of the property.”

This sort of zoning process, “form-based zoning,” focuses on buildings’ physical form and design rather than usage.

“The zone regulates how the building fits into the neighborhood rather than what the building is used for (i.e., housing, retail, and commercial),” the council said. “The primary goal is to ensure that new construction fits a neighborhood’s character while encouraging a mix of functions and building styles.”

The council voted to adopt the new zoning for the Fleet Block property in Dec. 2023. As of now, the council has proposed dividing the block into three sites, which will be open to developers who might be interested in building out the block.

About three acres of the block are going to be held for public space, developed by the Public Lands Department, according to the city council.

More information on the city’s plan to redevelop the Fleet Block in Salt Lake City’s Granary District can be found here .

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