On March 20, the Salt Lake City Council tore down 300 West’s Black Lives Matter murals. The mural’s destruction occurred despite years of dedicated community pushback.
Salt Lake’s city council justified its unpopular decision with a claim that preserving the murals would be too expensive, a step in their efforts to further “revitalize” the Ballpark area by transforming the abandoned Fleet Block into a public square.
Ignoring residents’ common interests causes these revitalization plans to cross the line from improvement to gentrification. Incongruence between public interest and government action is often justified with financial excuses. Residents are routinely told that there is not enough money in government budgets to carry out decisions that improve our communities.
Our state and national leaders cite insufficient funds for unpopular decisions, including aggressive budget slashes for national parks and program cuts in higher education. When individuals face harsh economic times with stagnant wages and increasing prices, public funding and accessible resources should be prioritized, not dismantled.
Limited funding is a disingenuous reason for funneling money out of the public sector. There is plenty of money for every American to flourish. We have the necessary resources in this country to provide the people with accessible social services and affordable provisions.
The illusion of false scarcity is used to justify robbing the American people of necessary resources.
Unnecessary cuts
The 300 W. BLM murals appeared in the summer of 2020. They were painted by an anonymous local collective and depicted victims of police murder accompanied by the words, “Mourn the dead and fight for the living.”
The decision to tear them down robbed the community of a sacred space. In a statement to The Salt Lake Tribune, residents called the murals “a powerful symbol of community healing, born out of grief, anger and protest.”
These murals immortalized victims of police violence. They were pieces of active resistance through art. The murals’ destruction was disrespectful, spawning disturbing images featuring excavators ripping down depictions of wrongfully dead community members whose names and faces became part of a demolition site.
Granary district rezoning efforts first threatened the memorial’s existence in November of 2020, just months after their initial appearance. Residents have made their stance on the matter clear, advocating for the space’s preservation. Its destruction came despite this.
Governments should work for the people. It is an indicator of incompetence when a government’s decisions are radically misaligned with public opinion.
The Salt Lake City Council’s statements about their financial inability to preserve the murals are misleading. The city’s budget for 2025 is $2 billion. Most of this is going to the Airport Enterprise Fund. Salt Lake’s airport is being expanded as part of the effort to make the city an inland port, a plan that two-thirds of Utah voters oppose.
Taxpayer dollars are misused when spent on plans that most voters oppose. Salt Lake City estimated that saving the BLM murals would have cost $2 million. This is just 0.35% of the money allotted to the SLC airport.
Efforts to preserve the BLM memorial were not out of reach. They were intentionally ignored.
Wealth is hoarded
False scarcity is a tactic used to excuse the misuse of taxpayer money. This March, the University of Utah faced $19.5 million dollars in budget cuts, almost entirely affecting humanities and liberal arts programs. Gov. Cox justified this through fiscal responsibility talking points, stating that it will “ensure a wise use of tax dollars,” and “maximize campus fiscal efficiency.”
Similar rhetoric has been used by Elon Musk, the public face of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The South African apartheid heir justified his million-dollar budget cuts and mass federal worker layoffs as money-saving measures through eliminating wasted funds.
We have entered an era defined by reducing the quality of life for the sake of hoarding wealth and maximizing profits. This money is taken from the public and never returned. These actions have already impacted life locally. Utah national parks are in disarray, facing a 10% reduction in staff and $210 million in funding cuts. The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) said these parks are being “dismantled before our very eyes.”
These losses do not lead to long-term monetary increases. The Big Five national parks contribute an annual $3 billion to Utah’s economy. Profits are threatened, not supported, by reductions in quality and accessibility. During his campaign, President Trump continually cited the increasing cost of living. Restoring an affordable America is central to MAGA dogma.
In 2024, he stated, “Starting on day one, we will end inflation and make America affordable again.” Trump created a sense of fiscal urgency that is used to retroactively justify his administration’s mass firings and budget slashes.
MAGA Republicans have followed suit, equating frugal policy with good policy. Red state leaders like Gov. Cox use cutting costs as an excuse for depriving the public of resources, including education, national parks and art.
Inflation and economic recession are MAGA scapegoats for reducing the quality of life.
We deserve better
False scarcity is an illusion used to justify homelessness in a country with a surplus of homes, unemployment in a country with a labor shortage and food insecurity in a country that also faces a food waste endemic. Resources are not scarce, they are hoarded and withheld to uphold billionaires.
Resist the false scarcity that Musk, Trump and Cox want the American people to feel so their incessant hoarding of wealth can continue. The billionaire class knows better than anyone else how abundant money is. The federal government has given Elon Musk $38 billion in loans, contracts and subsidies. Musk says he plans on making $1 trillion in federal cuts.
Americans support public resources across party lines. 62% of Americans support universal healthcare. 54% support providing unhoused people with housing. 66% support free public college and 83% support funding arts programs in schools.
We have the resources to align government decisions with public interest. False scarcity rhetoric should no longer be accepted. Resources are not limited. They are hoarded.
