Ithaca council approves amended Reawakening mural after heated debate over 'Free Gaza' text

The Ithaca Common Council voted 9–2 on March 4 to approve an amended design for the Reawakening (Underground Railroad) mural on Green Street, concluding a contentious public-comment period and lengthy council debate about whether the mural’s added language should be retroactively sanctioned.

The resolution before the council asked the city to execute an updated agreement with Ithaca Murals reflecting the amended design. Several speakers from the Jewish community and other residents urged the council to remove the "Free Gaza" text and a Palestinian flag element that they said were not in the originally approved sketch and made them feel unsafe. "By allowing this free Gaza and free Palestine graffiti to remain in the mural instead of the beautiful quilt designs that were approved, the council is endorsing divisiveness and hatred in Ithaca," one public commenter said.

Artists and other residents defended the changes as an evolution of the artwork. One artist explained he added the language to connect historical struggles to contemporary ones: "...that's why I painted it as a father...I think the conflict should end," he said, asking the council to consider the mural’s broader purpose.

Council debate split on two axes: process integrity and community impact. Some members (including one who moved an amendment) sought to remove only the "Free Gaza" text and direct Public Works to remove it from the existing wall within two work weeks; that amendment failed on a roll-call, 2–9. Several council members said the mural process involves a sketch that artists are expected to embellish in situ and that the finished product is often an evolution of the approved design.

Supporters of the amended resolution argued that the changes — including language such as "Black Lives Matter" and "Choose Love" — were consistent with the project’s intent to reflect the "underground railroad of today" and that artistic improvisation is a normal part of public mural work. Opponents highlighted the absence of community-wide consent for retroactively approving content added after the original council approval.

Outcome and next steps: The council approved the amended design (roll-call vote 9–2). The council recorded a separate failed amendment (to remove "Free Gaza") by 2–9. The resolution directs the city to execute an updated agreement with Ithaca Murals as reviewed by the city attorney’s office.

The council’s minutes show the vote on the main motion carried 9–2; the transcript records councilmembers and several community representatives speaking pro and con before the vote. The public-art debate drew broad public turnout and substantive oral testimony from artists, Jewish community leaders and many residents across Ithaca.