Groups in midst of Marilyn debate making moves, stating cases

The fight over the location of the Marilyn Monroe statue has ramped up once again, with both sides issuing statements and looking for public support.

First things first: It seems like the debate over the 26-foot-tall statue located in Downtown Palm Springs in the middle of Museum Way had been dormant for some time, but that was just the calm before the storm. We last told you about the lawsuit that is still moving through civil court in February.

• That lawsuit said the city’s reasoning for shutting down Museum Way for three years for a “special event” is not legal and that a three-year closure is not “temporary.” They also note that the city failed to do an environmental review before closing the street.

At issue: The fight is making headlines once again because Museum Way was only closed by the Palm Springs City Council for three years, and that time is up next year. One group that wants the statue to stay in place, and another that wants it moved, are both getting started on their campaigns ahead of next year.

Up first: The group Protect Our Marilyn, co-chaired by hotelier Aftab Dada, kicked off a signature-gathering push within the last week to ensure they could get a ballot measure to put the issue to the voters on the March 5 primary next year. 

• If Protect Our Marilyn gets signatures from 10% of the city’s registered voters within 180 days, city leaders can choose to permanently adopt the ordinance that allowed for the closure of Museum Way or put the question on the ballot.

By the numbers: Protect Our Marilyn said hundreds of thousands of people have visited the statue since it returned to town in 2021.

• They claim that according to a 2022 survey, 86.7% of 1,000 said the statute was their main reason for walking down Museum Way, and that they would tell other visitors the statue is a “must-see.”

In response: The Committee to Relocate Marilyn of (CReMa) released a statement this week reiterating its intention to continue the court fight. Their goal, they said, is to get the statue moved somewhere else so it’s not blocking the view of the architecturally significant Palm Springs Art Museum.

What they’re saying: “We have heard from several supporters that there are signature gatherers currently canvasing Palm Springs residents who are spreading misinformation by saying that CReMa wants ‘to get rid of the statue,’ CReMa organizer Trina Turk said. “The nuance of our stance about moving the statue to another location has been lost in the language being used by signature gatherers, even though RELOCATE is in the name of our organization.”

What to watch for: Protect Our Marilyn said they’re sending out volunteers to locations around Palm Springs to collect signatures. Meanwhile, CReMa said they are continuing their fight in the courts and that their attorney has taken the necessary legal steps to move the process along.

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