In battle over public bench removals, advocates decide to build their own

On Saturday morning, a coalition of community members gathered at a church in East Nashville. Advocates for the homeless, public transit and clergy members all came together to build benches that will be distributed in public spaces around the city.

The effort is in response to the city removing popular benches in August along Korean Veterans Boulevard and outside the Downtown Public Library as part of a “beautification” effort. The benches were replaced with concrete spheres which advocates say have displaced unhoused people who normally slept or rested there.

Pastor Robin Lovett Owen believes that Nashvillians deserve more places to sit — not fewer. And the dozens of people working on building benches agree with her.

“It’s born out of love for our neighbors, wanting them to be able to live comfortably in the city, but then also frustration with a city that has all the political authority to act but doesn’t,” Owen said.

Pastor Robin Lovett Owen began building benches in August after noticing people sitting on the ground while waiting for the bus.

The bench builders set up a makeshift assembly line — saws and drills whir as they cut legs, backs and seats for the benches, then assemble and paint them.

The group has identified 50 potential spots for the benches in areas of the city that are lacking the infrastructure to allow people to sit and rest like at busy bus stops, and places where the city recently removed benches that the community relied on.

NDOT, the Nashville Downtown Partnership, and Councilmember Jacob Kupin were responsible for the bench removals. Kupin told the Scene that he “advocated for these benches to be moved where they would be more useful and used by everybody,” arguing that Korean Veterans Bridge is a cut-through and not a space for gathering.

The final step of the bench assembly line is a fresh coat of colorful paint.

When asked about the move, Mayor Freddie O’Connell said that the city is trying to balance making spaces downtown look appealing without creating hostile infrastructure.

But Owen says she finds those arguments contradictory to the will of residents who overwhelmingly voted for the Choose How You Move initiative to improve public infrastructure.

“Sometimes it feels like people are speaking kind of out of both sides of their mouth, right?” Owen said. “Are we in favor of improving these public spaces or not? Why would we take down benches from Korean Vets Boulevard to put them up in another spot? Why not just have benches in both places?”

Owen’s group is calling on the city to restore the benches that were removed, and to install seating at all WeGo bus stops by December 2027, keeping these temporary wooden benches in place until that can be done.