NSW Cops Demanded That A Black Lives Matter Mural Be Removed Less Than A Day After It Went Up
"It is not the police's job to curate public artwork and culture."
A massive mural dedicated to the Black Lives Matter movement has been painted over less than a day after it went up, after police complained to the local council.
The huge mural, which was painted in a small laneway in Sydney’s Redfern, featured a burning police car with ‘BLM’ sprayed on the bonnet and ‘TJ Hickey’ sprayed on the side.
TJ (also known as Thomas) was an Indigenous teenager whose death sparked a nine-hour riot in Redfern, which saw the railway station set on fire and police pelted with rocks, bricks and bottles.
The 17-year-old died in 2004 when he was flung off his bike and impaled on a fence. His family have always maintained that he died as the result of a police pursuit, and witnesses reported seeing him being chased by a police vehicle.
Despite this, police have always denied they were pursuing TJ, and an inquest officially ruled his death was a “freak accident”.
The artist Scott Marsh told Junkee TJ would have been the same age as him today — he clearly remembers when he died.
Marsh said he still spent the majority of his time around Redfern and wanted to create something for that community.
“I had painted an image on canvas of a NYPD police car on fire with ‘George’ spray painted on it. I thought it was a really powerful symbol of what was happening in the USA around the BLM movement,” he said.
“I wanted to create a similar piece in an Australian context that spoke to issues of racism/policing for Aboriginal people.”
But less than a day after he completed the work, he received a video of the mural being painted over while a police officer stood guard.
Pretty disapointing to be sent a video of @nswpolice & @cityofsydney council painting over my mural this morning less than 24hrs after its completion.
Its a confronting image, its is supposed to be. #redfern #blacklivesmatter pic.twitter.com/X4mCQOGqWU
— scott_marsh (@Scottie_marsh) June 23, 2020
“I was aware the police were at my local pub looking for the mural an hour after I posted it on Instagram,” he said.
“When I saw they had painted over it I knew they were triggered by the image and had censored it. It is not the police’s job to curate public artwork and culture.”
Scott is known for his politically-inspired artwork — he’s formerly targeted Scott Morrison, Tony Abbott, Alan Jones and Israel Folau with tongue-in-cheek murals.
He selected this wall for his new mural because it was tucked away in a laneway, and said he got permission from the property owner who was open to him painting whatever he liked.
In a time when anti police sentiment is high I dont see whats to be gained by sensoring public artwork that you dont agree with @nswpolice , other than re enforcing #ftp #acab sentiment…
— scott_marsh (@Scottie_marsh) June 23, 2020
In a statement to Junkee late this afternoon, the City of Sydney Council said: “At the request of the NSW Police, the City of Sydney this morning removed a mural from a wall in Glover Lane, Redfern.”
NSW Police have been contacted for comment.