Rush City salon owners fight City Hall to keep mural of racial inclusion

RUSH CITY, Minn. — When the building next to their hair salon was torn down, Erin and Jason Oare saw a chance to do something inspirational. A blank wall of their building was exposed for the first time in decades, and they had an idea.

"We now had a blank canvas to do something on," Erin Oare said Wednesday. "We wanted a message of inclusivity."

The message may have been fine with city leaders, but not the method of delivery. Last month, the Oares hired local artist Peg Skalicky to paint a mural on the side of the Hairdo or Dye salon in this town of 3,300 residents about an hour north of the Twin Cities. It depicts six clenched fists of different skin tones rising from a bed of flowers and thrusting to the sky.

Within a week, the Oares got a letter from the city informing them that their mural violated a zoning ordinance and ordering them to paint over it within 10 days — meaning, by this Saturday. The zoning ordinance doesn't prohibit murals, but it doesn't allow them either, hence the city considers it prohibited.

The mural has drawn significant response on social media, picking up steam after media coverage.

"It's been unreal. Overwhelming," Erin Oare said. The response, Jason Oare added, "has been 98% positive."

The Oares said the city zoning ordinances were confusing, so they did their homework ahead of time, studying the laws and consulting with a lawyer as well as former city officials. They say they found nothing in Rush City laws that would prevent them from painting a mural on their own building. And they weren't looking for controversy, Jason Oare said.

"Our whole point wasn't to have this happen," he said. "Our point was to do a piece about unity and acceptance, and we can do it because we own the building."

Murals are common in the area, he said, with Pine City and North Branch both having prominent examples.

Jason Oare pointed out that when they painted the front of their building bright yellow a few years ago, they never heard a peep from the city.

"So, is it the [painting] ordinance or is it the content?" Erin Oare asked.

Rush City Mayor Dan Dahlberg said the issue could have been avoided if the Oares had consulted the city ahead of time.

"I'm a huge supporter of First Amendment rights and people's right to do what they want," he said. If the couple had worked with the city, he added "we would definitely have to reconsider [the ordinance]. We would definitely work to change it — or I would.

"It's a sad thing that in a small town, this is the course of action that took place."

Before the city issued the violation, he said, "We tried calling them twice and didn't hear back." The city administrator also sent the Oares an email, he said.

"Erin replied, 'We put up the mural; we don't feel we needed permission,' " Dahlberg said. "I feel bad for the citizens of Rush City. They're going to have a big lawyer bill coming for something that could have been easy."

The Oares don't intend to paint over the mural. Friends and supporters have organized a "Save the Wall" rally for Saturday at noon.

The rural area is predominantly white, but that's changing, Erin Oare said, and the couple wanted to send a message of welcome to new residents.

"It just felt like the right thing to do," she said.