The Gompers High School mural that was deemed graffiti and removed last year now has a chance to be revived.

The Richmond City Council this week gave the green light for the mural to be repainted. To make sure it stays up this time, the council approved a moratorium prohibiting the city from removing murals on private property where the property owner has given consent.

It means the students can put their mural back up on a privately-owned building on the Richmond Greenway before the school year ends in early June, when some will graduate.

Photo courtesy of David Meza

The hubbub over the mural happened last fall. The students’ teacher said she got the landowner’s permission to paint the side of his building and a city official told her no permit was needed. City code enforcement officers thought differently. They construed it as graffiti and ordered its removal.

The city is crafting new regulations that will likely outline a permitting process for displays like these. We expect a draft to reach the City Council before summer. The moratorium is in force until a new law is approved.

For those interested, more photos of the original mural as it was being painted are on the Gompers Garden’s Facebook page.