A Springfield alderman is trying to get Black Lives Matter street signs up again downtown

A Springfield alderman said he wants Black Lives Matter street signs returned after they were taken down by city workers on June 3.

Ward 2 Ald. Shawn Gregory directed city attorney Gregory Moredock to draft an ordinance to return the honorary signs which were at the intersections of Fourth and Jackson and Fifth and Jackson streets, near the Governor's Mansion.

The ordinance would have to pass a vote by the full city council.

The BLM-SPI signs were posted in 2021.

The Springfield Chapter of Black Lives Matter was founded by Sunshine Clemons and Khoran Readus in 2016.

In August 2020, the city council passed an anti-racism, anti-violence and anti-hatred resolution which also designated May 31 as BLM Solidarity Day.

The signs came in the aftermath of that resolution, Gregory said.

Chairing the July 9 Committee of the Whole meeting, Gregory said he was disappointed he wasn't informed by the city's Office of Public Works about the signs.

"It really hurt because it made us — people of color, Black people — feel like our lives don't matter," Gregory said.

It has an added dimension in light of the July 6 shooting of Sonya Massey by Sangamon County Sheriff's Deputies at her home in an unincorporated area of Woodside Township.

Clemons was among those who addressed protesters rallying for Massey and the release of body camera footage in front of the Sangamon County Building last week.

Several times, the protesters broke into chants of "Black lives matter."

During the meeting, Public Works Director Dave Fuchs said the BLM signs and signage honoring Springfield concert promoter Len Trumper were collected after a work order was signed.

Fuchs said the designation for Trumper's sign was for a year but didn't detail why the BLM-SPI signs were still up.

The signs, Fuchs said, are also an issue with central dispatch when emergency services are called for because "dispatch doesn't keep track of the streets by temporary honorary signs."

Gregory said after the meeting that the work of BLM-SPI should be lauded.

"This group in Springfield, those young ladies and their team have done an excellent job of bringing Black issues to light, bringing togetherness from all walks of life around the simple fact that Black lives do matter," he said. "So, I think it's only fitting for (the signs) to remain."

Gregory did not give a timeline when the ordinance might be brought before the city council.

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788; sspearie@sj-r.com; X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.