Forget Black Lives Matter being painted in huge yellow letters in the 800 block of East Grace Street next to Capitol Square.

Venture Richmond pulled the plug Monday after initially gaining city approval to match what is being done in other cities. Muralist Hamilton Glass had been selected to lead the initiative.

Anedra Bourne, deputy executive director of the Downtown booster group and the person spearheading the project, sought to explain the decision in an email Monday to the Free Press.

“We were eager to show support with this mural for the work that has taken place around social justice initiatives, and we remain committed to that,” Ms. Bourne stated. “However, the time that the overall process has taken since our initial efforts in June, combined with the many stipulations attached to such a mural, has led us to understand that our Downtown community is best served by shifting our resources to other areas."

The initiative initially drew a mostly enthusiastic response, but support began to diminish behind the scenes as Venture Richmond and city officials learned about the unintended legal consequences of allowing a public street to be used for a message some consider politically charged.

Members of the Richmond Planning Commission, which earlier this summer cleared the way for the street painting, were advised in a closed door briefing that authorizing even a temporary painting like this one would require the commission to approve other painting in or on public spaces that carried messages the city might not want to embrace

For example, the Free Press was told that a private attorney notified City Hall that if the Black Lives Matter painting went forward, he would seek permission to install murals supporting President Trump’s re-election on city property and would sue the city for violation of his First Amendment rights if his proposal was rejected.

“We were told that you couldn’t do for one if you were not prepared to do for others,” a city official told the Free Press on condition of anonymity.

While the decision drew expressions of disappointment from supporters, others were supportive of Venture Richmond’s action to kill the project.

In a social media post, G. Joseph Myers stated that the painting that was supposed to be positive would actually have been a negative for the movement.

“This proposal called for painting Black Lives Matter in a color associated with cowardice and for placing it on a street where it could be driven over, spit on and otherwise disrespected,” he wrote. “Thank goodness cooler heads prevailed and prevented this well-meaning but unfortunate project from going forward. BLM needs to be supported, not disrespected.”