Outrage is growing over a controversial mural in Milwaukee’s Riverwest neighborhood as the building owner says vandals targeted it once again over the weekend. The artwork shows a swastika within the Star of David and is on the side of a building near Holton and Locust. The mural reads, “The irony of becoming what you once hated.”It was doused in paint Friday morning and restored the same day. Over the weekend, someone ripped down 75% of it. “The artist is willing to reproduce as many times as need be,” building owner Ihsan Atta told 12 News Monday. “We have a different mural that’s going to be going here. I’ll reproduce the other mural and put it in an area that’s less accessible.”Atta, who commissioned the artwork, is Palestinian and said he is trying to draw attention to Israel’s war against Hamas. “It absolutely is not a hate message,” Atta said. “It was never intended for that, and I will once again say, the people that are trying to put that out there are the same people that are supporting the genocide taking place.”He would not specify where the “less accessible” spot will be for the original mural. “There are things that he could have done that would have garnered sympathy, and instead, he’s garnered nothing but division and unrest in our neighborhood, and he’s left the rest of us to clean up the pieces,” neighbor Jordan Laurent said. “It deserved to be ripped down. Something like this has no place in this neighborhood.”The outrage is now also coming from City Hall. “This was one where we are all on the same page. There is no place in our city for a mural that lifts up a swastika,” Ald. JoCasta Zamarripa said. All 15 common council members sent statements over the weekend condemning the mural and asking Atta to take it down. “The truth is or hands are tied. It’s his property. He has the right to commission this type of artwork and all we can do is implore him,” Zamarripa said. “He’s a leader in his community, and we’re imploring him to do the decent thing and take that mural down.”
Outrage is growing over a controversial mural in Milwaukee’s Riverwest neighborhood as the building owner says vandals targeted it once again over the weekend.
The artwork shows a swastika within the Star of David and is on the side of a building near Holton and Locust. The mural reads, “The irony of becoming what you once hated.”
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It was doused in paint Friday morning and restored the same day. Over the weekend, someone ripped down 75% of it.
“The artist is willing to reproduce as many times as need be,” building owner Ihsan Atta told 12 News Monday. “We have a different mural that’s going to be going here. I’ll reproduce the other mural and put it in an area that’s less accessible.”
Atta, who commissioned the artwork, is Palestinian and said he is trying to draw attention to Israel’s war against Hamas.
“It absolutely is not a hate message,” Atta said. “It was never intended for that, and I will once again say, the people that are trying to put that out there are the same people that are supporting the genocide taking place.”
He would not specify where the “less accessible” spot will be for the original mural.
“There are things that he could have done that would have garnered sympathy, and instead, he’s garnered nothing but division and unrest in our neighborhood, and he’s left the rest of us to clean up the pieces,” neighbor Jordan Laurent said. “It deserved to be ripped down. Something like this has no place in this neighborhood.”
The outrage is now also coming from City Hall.
“This was one where we are all on the same page. There is no place in our city for a mural that lifts up a swastika,” Ald. JoCasta Zamarripa said.
All 15 common council members sent statements over the weekend condemning the mural and asking Atta to take it down.
“The truth is or hands are tied. It’s his property. He has the right to commission this type of artwork and all we can do is implore him,” Zamarripa said. “He’s a leader in his community, and we’re imploring him to do the decent thing and take that mural down.”
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