Residents urge council to keep ‘Welcome to Clifton — Where Black Lives Matter’ banner; opponents call for different action

Mayor William Hollaway convened the Town of Clifton’s July 7, 2020 meeting and allocated a substantial portion of the evening to public comment on a banner reading “Welcome to Clifton — Where Black Lives Matter.” Dozens of residents, many identified by name during the electronic meeting, urged the council to keep the sign as a public statement welcoming people of color and to follow the symbol with concrete support and outreach.

Supporters spoke about the banner’s local meaning and the feeling of safety it conveyed. ‘‘It sends a supportive message to the greater surrounding community,’’ said Anthony DiBari. Graham Milne said the banner helps the town ‘‘stand up for anti-racism,’’ and Michelle Stein, Jordan Cherry and others said the sign affirmed that Clifton is a welcoming place.

The council also received written objections and critical emails that were entered into the record. A long letter from resident Paul A. Miller urged the council to reconsider the wording and to pursue tangible relief for small businesses harmed by unrest rather than a banner. Miller wrote that the sign’s phrasing risks aligning the town with elements of the national movement that some critics call ‘‘radical’’ or that they say have tolerated violence; he proposed alternatives such as “Welcome to Clifton — Where Equality for All Matters” or financial assistance to affected businesses. The record also included a widely circulated email critical of the banner and media excerpts highlighting outside commentary.

Council members described the banner as an urgent, symbolic response taken after an emergency session in June and said the sign was intended as a first step. Mayor Hollaway noted the town’s banner policy and the need for a VDOT permit where state authority applies, and Vice Mayor Steve Effros and other members said the council would track permits and any competing requests for the same banner space.

Several speakers urged the council to pair the banner with follow-up actions, including outreach to law enforcement and concrete programs to address racial inequities and to support affected small businesses. ‘‘If we all want to rally around each other, regardless of skin color, then let us do so with a message that stands out and achieves that goal,’’ one commenter said.

At the meeting the council did not remove the banner; members said it would remain until another organization requests the civic-event space (most in-person events had been canceled because of the pandemic). The council recorded that VDOT permit status remained outstanding and that the town’s banner policy normally limits displays to finite intervals.

The meeting closed without a formal change to the banner policy or an immediate directive to remove or replace the sign. Council members and residents agreed on the need for more discussion and follow-up; several said they would bring proposals for procedures and possible community actions to a future meeting.

The council adjourned at 10:29 p.m.; follow-up items the council promised to track included the VDOT permit status, any formal requests for the banner space, and possible programs to support small businesses and community engagement.