UF removes anti-police banners after questions from media

BY JENNIFER CABRERA
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Anti-police banners on a building used by the UF College of Arts have been taken down after Alachua Chronicle asked questions about whether the university had any comment on the banners. The building, located at 534 SW 4th Avenue, is owned by the UF Foundation.
The banners have the following messages:
- “Alachua Jail has blood on their hands”
- “Abolish prisons”
- “Next step, we burn it down – Karen Smith 1979-2020”
- “End prison slavery”
- “Abolish the police”


Pointing out that one of the banners explicitly calls for violence (“Next step, we burn it down”), Alachua Chronicle asked Dean Onye Ozuzu of the UF College of Arts whether the College had any comment or explanation for these signs and whether they would be removed. Dean Ozuzu replied in a written statement, “The banners in question were part of an art installation by students and alumni at the 4Most Gallery which is part of the College of the Arts at the University of Florida. The banners are a part of the artists’ expression, they do not reflect the views of the University of Florida. They have been removed while the college explores how they can be clearly framed as works of art.”
As of this morning, the banners are no longer on the building.
If they were works of art why do they look like a 7 year old made them?
That’s the emotional maturity of some college students nowadays.
Can you believe those people go into student loan debt to post garbage like that?
The real scary part is that someone had to point it out to them before it was removed. That provides further reinforcement of these liberal institutions of so-called higher learning and their condoning of violence by students and/or organizations against law enforcement and other entities who don’t share their political and moral ideologies.
This is exactly the type of moral decay we’ve been forewarned about. Take precautions, take care of yourselves and families – be prepared because despite their preached acceptance…they don’t. It’s you or them, better them.
Yea! And We have Never been warned of Dirty Lying cop’s.
Yeah! Some of us have even been warned to stay out of some neighborhoods at certain times. Might get shot or something.
They are not “Works of Art” any more than are antisemitic messages.
I will never give a penny more to UF while this nonsense flourishes.
“The banners are a part of the artists’ expression, they do not reflect the views of the University of Florida. They have been removed while the college explores how they can be clearly framed as works of art.”
I find them extremely offensive! The College loves to hide behind works of Art protection. They certainly did not advocate that position for very long as they came down in record time.
Thankfully we have a Governor that will not tolerate it.
I doubt they were works of art as there would have been an announcement and some context given, not to mention those lame banners offer nothing new or thought provoking. And if it were, too bad if you are offended. A democracy means seeing and hearing things that you don’t like just as Stanford has the right to invite speakers that leftist students don’t like.
. . . and so our society takes money paid by our poorer working citizens into the lottery, one of the most regressive taxes known to man. Then we give that to middle class narcissists via Bright Futures scholarships. These recipients use the skills gained from their training to fashion banners of boilerplate political statements to the effect that violent criminals should be given the means to run rampant in the poorer community, victimizing people with impunity.
How exactly? What job skills require craptastic banner making devoid of critical thinking skills? Not to mention most of these people are young and dumb. I bet you said and did some dumb things in your youth too. The good news is that most of us grow up and we realize the world isn’t as black and white as we once thought.
Thank you Alachua chronicle. This is ridiculous, people complain about the police but as soon as they have trouble they call the police, they’re hypocrites. I wish the police had a choice to NOT help these people that hate them and complain about them. These idiots would change their tune real quick when some criminal attacks them and no help comes to their aid. Then they would call racism.
Yea! I agree, cop’s are Hypocrites.
Then don’t ever call one for any reason.
Actually the police coming to aid them would likely change their mind about the police. There are a great many good people in uniform who we fail to acknowledge because of the horrendous behavior or a select few who should have never been given a badge in the first place.
“clearly framed as works of art”??????? This UF dean has the gall to seek a way to “frame” this hateful crap as “works of art?” Evidently Dean Ozuzu would frame a pile of dog crap as a work of art. Look at all the hideous apartments going up in Gainesville. Look at the ugly abortion they call Celebration Pointe. Gainesville — City of the Grotesque. I keep insisting that UF is largely a Marxist psychotic cesspool that indoctrinates its students with destructive leftist nonsense which gives rise to Ugly America The Idiocracy. A nation of ugly woke idiots. “UF The Sewer” will ensure that Gainesville remains a smelly communist rat’s nest until DeSantis et. al. clean out all the vermin and restore UF to a real educational institution instead of a Marxist indoctrination camp.
You know the old saying, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”
Or “garbage in, garbage out.”
No wonder those knuckleheads can’t seem to pay back their school loans. Art isn’t exactly what one would call a “marketable” career field. From those pictures, there aren’t any Picassos in the bunch either.
Safe to say who has the low standards.
How did they get into art school? Dean Onye Ozuzu – you should be ashamed to make such a idiotic statement. I wonder if I threaten to burn down that building, I’d get in trouble…..or do I tell them it’s my artists expression. FU UF!!!!!!!!!!!!
UF is a nursery for rich spoiled kids who are being indoctrinated into a life of misery.
Art installation… ??
What is wrong with these people?
I know art when I see it, and that is as far from art as it gets in both content and execution. Shame on UF. I’m embarrassed to be an alumni just now.
if the banner “next step we burn it down” means UF i am all for it!
I’d like to see STOP COMMITTING CRIMES, DON’T RESIST THE POLICE, ACT LIKE BLACK LIVES REALLY DO MATTER, RESPECT OTHER PEOPLE’S PROPERTY, THOU SHALL NOT STEAL, THOU SHALL NOT KILL, HARD WORK PAYS OFF, STAY IN SCHOOL, etc. The dean has a master’s degree in Dance from FSU, by the way (no PhD). She must have checked lots of boxes.
Onye…strong Irish name…☘️
Mental illness is real, y’all. These kids are so deep in this woke nonsense, they don’t know their heads from their asses.
Nailed that one! “Art” is only appreciated and interpreted as such by the observer. These college kids are as you stated so eloquently, “asses.” That’s our interpretation as well as our perception.
Shut down that whole damn gallery building. It’s an obvious Antifa takeover target, starting years ago. You can tell from their art show topics and actual pointed messages in their “artworks”. No doubt they’re trying for attention against DeSantis now, to get social media attention and art business *brownie* points.
I’m offended by the abortion pictures on campus.
Lots of freedom loving “Patriots” on here supporting free speech at a public institution! Oh wait NM.
True. However if you allow one point you must allow and protect the counterpoint.
Maybe you missed the story the other day about the left wingnuts who attacked the officers who were attempting to maintain order?
UF took them down. Did you miss that part? No deranged leftist took them this time. Apparently, upper management at UF agreed that it does not qualify as art by any definition. Whoever is running that building should be moved to a completely different position with the UF Foundation.
Oh. Social justice murals and artwork!!! they removed that ugly one at that NW 8th Ave park after it was defaced with Trump stuff.
Let’s see how they can pay their student loans & bills when they get out of school…
A bunch of painted banners fostering hate are “works of art?” Oh, I don’t think so.
“Abolish prisons” and “Abolish the police”? Even a child would be appalled at the intellectual immaturity on display. Exactly how privileged and sheltered are these art students to think that a society could function without either one?
Or are they advocating for a world of vigilantes and warlords, where anyone can act as judge, jury, and (literal) executioner for anyone they feel has committed a crime at any time?
I realize that the requirements for an art degree aren’t exactly intellectually rigorous, but it’s amazing that UF’s standards have sunk this low.
They sure weren’t saying those things in 1990 when Danny Rolling was roaming the neighborhood were they?
How times have changed.
They should show some commitment to their art and put a sign in their yard telling police not to answer calls from their address.
This wasn’t actually an art exhibition that had any specific involvement from students, faculty, or the university, although those sorts of details likely aren’t relevant if one has broad contempt for art and arts education already.
The Dean had the opportunity to say that and did not. Her comment is quoted verbatim.
Art is meant to make you feel something. Art is meant to create discussion. By populating this comment section with your angry feelings, you are in fact proving the point that this was an art installation. You don’t have to like a piece or exhibition and it can still be art. Personally I do not like this kind of art, but it does prove a point.
No sane person would call this “art”