A mile-long curb in Gainesville, Florida, painted purple to honor soldiers who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice, could be in jeopardy from a state law passed earlier this year banning pavement artwork not used for traffic control.
The Memorial Mile, a fixture along Northwest Eighth Avenue since 2021, was painted to remind pedestrians and motorists of the costs of war. Designers chose purple as an ode to the Purple Heart, a military commendation medal given to soldiers injured in combat.
Now the tribute could be painted over and lost to history.
In June, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) mandated that all street art not used for transportation purposes be painted over or removed. According to the Independent Florida Alligator, the University of Florida’s student newspaper, Gainesville officials have been corresponding with FDOT in recent months discussing what to do with the memorial.
This news follows FDOT’s enforcement of an ordinance in August threatening the city to replace three rainbow-colored crosswalks or face expulsion of state transportation funds. Mayor Harvey Ward reluctantly agreed, and the bricks were removed on Aug. 25.
The project all started on Memorial Day weekend, 2007. Veterans for Peace placed 4,000 white coroplast tombstones (similar to yard signs or Halloween decorations) along the mile route to honor the more than 4,000 soldiers (at that time) killed in the post-9/11 wars. Each tombstone featured a veteran’s name, hometown, rank, and date they died.
As both wars stretched on, the tombstone tally grew to more than 6,000. In all, over 7,000 soldiers were killed in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The Cost of War
It wasn’t an official military cemetery, but the memorial sure resembled the real thing, said Gainesville City Commissioner James Ingle.
Scott Camil, 79, serves as president of the city’s chapter of Veterans for Peace. Camil said he wanted the image of bright purple and thousands of white tombstones jutting out of the earth to symbolize sacrifice. To make Gainesville residents stop and think for a minute about those who’ve died serving our nation.
“We wanted the public to see the cost of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Camil said.
Friends and family members of the fallen soldiers would visit the memorial, leaving mementos beside their loved one’s marker. Items like photos and letters were collected by Veterans for Peace and returned to the site every Memorial Day.
In 2021, when U.S. forces pulled out of Afghanistan, Veterans for Peace ended the event, but Camil decided to preserve the tombstones in an air-controlled shed on his property.
But Gainesville officials still wanted to do something to remember the memorial that stood for more than a decade, so they opted to paint the curb purple, a nod to each veteran’s Purple Heart.
Removal Would be “Ridiculous”
If the curb does get nixed, Camil said a member of his organization will be there for the removal, taking photos to document the process. Veterans for Peace in Gainesville has kept an archive of images since the project began nearly 20 years ago.
Camil is upset that Gov. Ron DeSantos and Florida lawmakers chose to make a blanket decision on pavement art.
“It is a memorial site. And we’re upset that the governor would shut down part of a memorial site,” Camil said.
Ironically, DeSantos is a veteran. He served in the Navy as a Judge Advocate General.
Sheila Payne, a former Gainesville resident now living in New York, told The Alligator she spent a lot of time through the years lending volunteer hours setting up the tombstones. Her husband and father-in-law are both veterans.
Payne said the purple line is not dangerous or distracting to motorists and pedestrians.
“Frankly, it is so ridiculous,” she said of the possible removal.
Mayor Ward said he supports Veterans for Peace and believes the city’s many dedicated veterans will oppose the curb removal if FDOT decides to enforce the ordinance.
Like Payne, he also doesn’t see how the purple curb makes the roadway unsafe. He’s hoping FDOT will choose to reconsider.
“I’m hopeful that they will make a good decision,” he said.
Story Continues
Read the full article here