AUSTIN, Texas — Back in May, on the corner of 12th and Chicon streets, an iconic mural was painted over when a new tenant moved in.
“When it was initially painted over, I was upset, to say the least,” he said. But now, mural artist Chris Rogers said, it’s been a great opportunity.
Veronica Ortuño, owner of the clothing store and gallery Las Cruxes, who had the mural removed, later agreed to commission the original artist to paint another mural on the wall.
In a statement last month, she said:
Las Cruxes is an independently owned and operated small business with long-standing ties to the East Austin community. As a 14-year resident, I consider Austin my home. We are taking into consideration and listening to all concerned parties. As persons of color ourselves, we do not take this issue lightly.
When the mural was painted over in mid-May, graffiti including "F*** gentrification" and "Black Culture Matters" were among those on the freshly painted white wall.
Ortuño's store was originally located at 913 E. Cesar Chavez St., and was forced to move after "the owner was reluctant to further negotiate with us and decided to sweep any possibility of us continuing as tenants from right under our feet at the very last second."
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