“Free Palestine” message created by the artist Ryan Manzi, in addition to signs for Beacon, a shamrock for St. Paddy’s Day, and Scooby Do.

The irony of the permanent desecration of the brick building in order to cover up a temporary message of freedom with a layer of a bright blob of permanence is one for poets to ponder.

It is a wonder if the City of Beacon will pursue the graffiti blob maker (graffiti blobs are not art or expressions), or if they will instead pursue the chalk artists, who they are already in hot pursuit of on a regular basis, and have arrested in the past for making chalk art. An arrest that failed, since chalk is temporary, says one of the arrested artists and Beacon resident Ryan Manzi.

This article includes a video interview with Ryan as he pops up to chalk another message of freedom and justice just down the brick from the tagging signed in paint drips. Be sure to scroll down to watch/listen.

Forensic Discovery Of The Paint Over The Chalk

Ryan and his friend Steve first started chalking Beacon last Spirit of Beacon Day. His goal was to chalk spirit all over town. His work has been seen on the sidewalk outside of Towne Crier, outside of the Beacon Car Wash and the Beacon Fade and Shave, and on the big green construction fence/wall at the development site on Main Street that went bankrupt and has been standing still. That chalk space has since been covered up by another artist, in paint however, which may have come with permission, which was done for Beacon Bonfire, without a nod given to Ryan’s original chalk art that started there.

The paint covering the pro-Palestinian CHalk.
Photo Credit: Katie James Inc.

Ryan latest chalk art piece is on the building that used to be Pizza and Stuff, and is the back of Sun River Health. He chalked out FREE PALESTINE with the Palestinian flag. When this happened, ALBB was sent the photo by several people, all of whom were excited to see such expression.

Just days later, the chalk art was covered up by what seems to be splattered paint, maybe from a spray can, or a brush. Said Ryan to ALBB: “I know my chalk, and that's somebody deliberately covering it up.”

The person covering up the chalk used a paint-like substance, than ran down the building in drips. “It's literally spray paint. The running streaks are spray paint. In other words, LITERAL graffiti.” Recently, Ryan and his painting partner Steve have been arrested for their chalk art. Ryan says a call was made by someone who saw them chalking. Ultimately, charges were lifted because chalk is temporary. Ryan’s preferred brand of chalk is Crayola from local boutique Zakka Joy.

THe shamrock, left untouched by the Free Palestine cover-upper. The rain has already begun to wash away the chalk naturally.

Upon the discovery of his chalk work being covered in paint, Ryan took to being a forensic artist to figure out what happened. Ryan pointed out the drips. Another paint stroke on a brick looked like a deliberate stroke, versus spray paint. Additionally, he noted, his other chalk art of a shamrock, Scooby Do, or the words BEACON were not covered up or deleted by the paint.

“It shows clear and deliberate hatred and bigotry,” Ryan told ALBB. It is not known if Beacon Police will pursue the permanent paint thrower, or only focus on the chalk artist because he is always out on Main Street and is recognizable by most people who live here. Ryan is easy pray for the Beacon Police to come and get.

April Article from the Poughkeepsie Journal

As Ryan popped up to chalk a new message, a person walking by said “I like it,” and another said “Looks awesome!” Some Beacon elementary school kids walking by raised their fists in solidarity.

A white man also approached, eager to take a picture. ALBB wasn’t sure if he was taking a picture for evidence against the chalk art, as he mentioned not liking trash on the ground, saying nothing about Palestinians, but he stood by nonetheless to chat while Ryan finished his work. A Black man approached next, fist bumping Ryan, the two of whom later discussed Ryan’s latest nail polish.

In the video interview with Ryan, he mentions a Poughkeepsie Journal article, which reported on the time in 2017 when Beacon signed a resolution declaring itself a “Welcoming, Safe and Inclusive City.” Ryan had this to say, in 2024, about where the City is now: “Please remind them of their own doings, and then tell me where it doesn't add up, because its nothing new, thanks 🫶🏽💯”

Revisiting The “Welcoming, Safe and Inclusive City” That Beacon Resolved Itself To Be in April 2017

Ryan is not the only one who recalls Beacon’s resolution during the time of Trump’s Muslim Travel Ban, where Beacon and other cities sought to send signals to the federal government and all community members that it did not discriminate based on race or religion.

Palestinian Beacon business owner Kamel Jamal also mentioned this passage during his speech at City Council Meeting in 2024, urging City Council to pass a Ceasefire Resolution, demanding an end to the death and destruction going on in Palestine at the hands of Israel, with aid and support by the United States Government, and several of its local leaders at the state and municipal levels.

This time, in response, Mayor Kyriacou has been trying to “correct” the 2017 recollections of Beacon citizens. During the 2024 night of the passage of the ceasefire resolution by the mostly reluctant City Council Meeting (where Paloma Wake was the lone Councilmember steadily urging that the issue get recognized and pass), Mayor Lee “reminded” the community that he wrote the “Welcoming, Safe and Inclusive City” resolution, and stressed that its purpose was for police directive.

The city was divided then, and remains so. The Poughkeepsie Journal article that Ryan referenced captured the essence of the time. The article quotes below reflect the time, but read the full article here:

Published on April 4, 2017:
“In the City of Beacon, city officials and employees cannot interrogate or arrest someone based on their citizenship status, and will not help enforce federal immigration law.

“Those provisions are among several aspects of a resolution declaring Beacon a “welcome, safe and inclusive city” and designed to help individuals living in the U.S. without legal permission. But while the resolution was passed by the city council by a unanimous vote, the language used in the resolution was meticulously debated, and it proved divisive among area residents who attended Monday's meeting.

“Of 23 residents who spoke during two public comment sessions, 13 supported the resolution and 10 opposed it. Many in attendance wore red or blue to signify their stance on the issue.”

The article continued, describing the resistance to the wording and relevance of the resolution. Relevance is something Mayor Lee Kyriacou continues to push for today, in order to avoid discussion of these sorts of things, which center around racism, Islamaracism and bigotry. He mentioned wanting relevance again during last evening’s City Council Meeting, when he was discussing proper forum and decorum at City Council Meetings and topics taken up.

Back to the 2017 article. It further highlighted an effort by then City Councilmember, Ali T. Muhammad, who is currently participating in protests and ceasefire resolution pushes as a citizen, to include the word “sanctuary,” but received pushback by other councilmembers. As background, the term “sanctuary city” was punished by Trump when he put federal restrictions on funding for such cities:

“While not in name, the resolution offers many of the same protections as designated sanctuary cities. The resolution itself makes no reference to the term ‘sanctuary city,’ and a motion by Ali Muhammad, 4th ward council member, to add the term to the resolution name failed, 4-2.

"Peggy Ross, 1st ward council member, argued that the term ‘sanctuary city’ implied that Beacon would provide food or shelter in some way, which the resolution does not call for. Muhammad, however, said that choosing not to use the term "whitewashed" the resolution.

"Opponents challenged that the resolution was not a matter for the city council.

"‘What sort of benefit does this resolution have to protect our citizens or our police officers?’ asked Joe Galbo, of Beacon."

A Reminder Of The Legal Implications Of Beacon’s 2017 Welcoming, Inclusive and Safe City Resolution:

As reported in the Poughkeepsie Journal: "Under the resolution, city officials and employees cannot ‘stop, question, interrogate, investigate or arrest’ someone based on their immigration or citizenship status or a civil immigration warrant, administrative warrant or an immigration detainer.

"Officials and employees cannot inquire about an individual's immigration or citizenship status unless necessary to investigate a criminal activity by that individual, nor can they engage in the enforcement of federal immigration law, the resolution said."