Maries R-2 supports teacher behind art project

By Roxie Murphy, Staff Writer
Posted 2/8/23

BELLE — The Maries County R-2 Board of Education on Jan. 31 rallied for its Belle High School art teacher when a community member complained about a student graffiti art project located next to …

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Maries R-2 supports teacher behind art project

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BELLE — The Maries County R-2 Board of Education on Jan. 31 rallied for its Belle High School art teacher when a community member complained about a student graffiti art project located next to her home.

Nearly eight minutes into the open session, Belinda Branson approached the board during the “comments from visitors.”

“I am Belinda Branson,” she said and gave the board her address which adjoins the property used for the art project. “My husband and I have been trying all summer to have the property adjoining ours up to the city ordinances.”

Branson said she has been going to city meetings since 2020 to complain about her neighbor’s property.

When the property owner allowed the school district to use an unoccupied mobile home between her and Branson as the canvas for a graffiti art project, Branson immediately began to speak out.

“When I went out there that day and saw that trailer had been painted, it made me sick, and after I got sick I got mad,” Branson said about her feelings after students on Jan. 11 began the project. “I was told it was an art project. That some classes had painted on it, other classes was going to paint later and when it was finished, the art club was going to paint a mural on it. Then I was also told that it needs to be 50 degrees to be able to use the paint. Well, in Missouri you’re not going to have too many 50-degree days in a row to get your project finished.”

Branson said some of those present may have read the signs in her yard and that there is an ordinance for graffiti in Belle for outside properties and exteriors.

“On my signs, I put where you could find those ordinances I put where you could find — Chapter 400, article 6, and there was 32 of them,” Branson said. “Article 17 I think it was said no graffiti.”

Branson said she was upset and asked a realtor what the project would do to her property value.

“She said yes, absolutely, that depreciates the value of my property,” Branson continued.

She began revisiting a previous city grant where dilapidated trailers and homes could be torn down at a shared cost. The property owner would have been responsible for $500 with the rest paid for by the grant. However, the property owner, Elaine Lemons, has said she did not own the property at that time.

“The property owners at the time chose not to participate in that,” Branson said. “Well, that is their privilege, but they need to keep it up to par with the rest of the neighborhood.”

Branson said she spoke with Superintendent Dr. Lenice Basham about the graffiti, as well as the school board president and two city aldermen.

“I talked to Joey (Butler II, board president), and he could tell I was aggravated about it,” she said. “I talked to some of the city council members. One of the said they could not understand why Daryl (White, Jr., mayor) let it happen. The other one didn’t know that Daryl was in on it.”

Branson said she filled out a form for the board meeting to complain about the mobile home’s paint.

“One of them had one of those questions about ‘what do you hope to accomplish from this meeting’ and I put ‘the project stopped and the trailer painted’ and it is my understanding the project has stopped and that the school —

“Mr. Walker,” Basham interjected, naming the art teacher.

“— is going to repaint the trailer,” Branson continued. “I appreciate that, but I would really encourage you that any time you have a club that is doing something in the community — those ordinances are online. Look them up and see for yourself. Don’t take somebody else’s word for it and don’t expect somebody else to pull strings for ya. See what the ordinances say and abide by them because if my property gets depreciated, my school taxes get depreciated and I really don’t think the board of education wants too many properties that happens to. Thank you. I appreciate that.”

Butler responded to Branson’s complaint.

“I do want to clarify something and I am glad it is getting taken care of where hopefully everyone is going to be happy, but if you look up the definition of graffiti, it means illegally painting something on someone’s property without their permission,” Butler said. “I just want you to be clear here that the school didn’t violate any laws or ordinances in what they did —.”

Branson interrupted that was Butler’s definition of graffiti and tried to interject that there are multiple definitions. Butler told her the two minutes of her time was up.

“It issue is solved, I just want it to be noted that the school didn’t violate anything. But I am glad it is going to get taken care of,” Butler said just as Branson interrupted again.

“The violation says no graffiti on outside buildings,” she said quickly as Butler repeated that her time was up. “You violated that!”

Butler told her again that the project was not the ordinance’s definition of graffiti.

“Look up the definition,” Butler insisted.

“Then what is it? Vandalism?” Branson asked.

Butler said it is ugly if that is her opinion and she said it is.

“Yes, very ugly,” she said as she grabbed her coat. “It depreciates the value of the community.”

The board revisited the situation on a line item titled “Belinda Branson” and the city graffiti ordinance later in the meeting. Butler asked if there was anything anyone wanted to add to the conversation. Director Kenda Sanders said yes.

“I want to make sure Mr. Walker doesn’t feel like he has done something wrong,” Sanders said and Basham agreed. “I feel like he was branching out trying to find new things. He is an excellent educator here and I don’t want him to feel like he has done anything wrong.”

Basham said she has conversed with Walker a few times and has shown him support.

“I think he got into a situation where he didn’t have a lot of knowledge,” Basham said. “I think Mr. (Garrett) Haslag is going to ask more questions prior to giving permission. I think that will help.”

Butler said he didn’t mean to be rude to Branson.

“I wanted her to know that they didn’t break a law — the students or the teacher did nothing wrong or unlawful, and so by extension, the district didn’t either,” Butler said. “But regardless if any of us liked or disliked what was on there, it was in our project and we don’t get to say, well, you can’t really put that on there, even though that is what you wanted to express so-to-speak, because someone else doesn’t like it. We’re not going to start taking it away on opinions. The fact is, we didn’t break a law, he didn’t break a law.”

Basham said the landowner requested the project.

“I kept directing the conversation back to that,” Basham said. “This is a landowner-to-landowner conversation. This is not a district conversation. This is a landowner-to-landowner issue. The landowner requested the project. But we have concluded the project. As soon as the temperature allows, Mr. Walker is going to spray it back over with white and is going to choose a different project in another area.”

The front of the mobile home that is facing Fourth Street has already been repainted.