Trashing neighborhood murals  is affront to Latino community

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Updated: November 16, 2011 2:04PM

In the last few weeks, two murals have been defaced in the predominantly Mexican neighborhoods of Pilsen and Little Village.

First, vandals defaced on two occasions the mural in memory of Jeff Abbey Maldonado Jr., an aspiring hip-hop artist who was gunned down by a gang-banger in July in a tragic case of mistaken identity.

And just last weekend, a mural in the Little Village neighborhood was damaged when someone splashed tar on the faces of nationally recognized Latino leaders.

These criminal acts are an affront to the cultural and artistic heritage of the Chicago Latino community. It does not matter if the vandals are gang-bangers, vagrants or simply people who don’t agree with the messages depicted in the murals.

Residents of both communities should condemn these outrageous attacks. Defacing a public mural is a crime and an offense to all residents of metropolitan Chicago who treasure freedom of expression and value the art of the diverse communities.

The Little Village mural is in the Manuel Perez Jr. Plaza at 26th and Kolin. It pays homage to outstanding Latino leaders such as farm workers organizer Cesar Chavez, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and World War II hero Manuel Perez Jr.

Only the face of local slain community leader Rudy Lozano and an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe were spared.

Artists Pablo Serrano and Rahmaan Statik painted the mural in 2009, with help from 15 young people from Lawndale and Little Village. A community group, Enlace Chicago, which runs education and violence prevention programs, provided the funding.

“We at Enlace condemn this act, which denigrates Latino leaders,” said Michael Rodriguez, the group’s executive director. He added that the group has been in contact with the artists to restore the mural.

Serrano restored the mural dedicated to Maldonado a few weeks ago, after it was defaced a second time. The restored mural will be unveiled at a ceremony at 3 p.m. ceremony Thursday at 18th and Paulina, along with a second mural called “The Reach for Peace Mural,” at 1544 W. 18th St.

Silvana Tabares, a candidate for state representative in the 21st District in the March 20 Democratic primary, first alerted the media to the defacing of the mural at Manuel Perez Jr. Plaza.

“We should not tolerate vandalism,” she said. “It offends the Latino community and Latino veterans.”

The murals of Pilsen and Little Village follow the rich Mexican muralism tradition and are a significant part of the history of Chicago.

Aldermen Danny Solis (25th) and Ricardo Munoz (22nd), along with the community and artistic organizations based in the Pilsen and Little Village, share in the responsibility of protecting and preserving the local murals for future generations.

A mural is a public work of art that belongs to all of us, and we all need to protect it.