MILWAUKEE — On its fourth day, the mural at Holton and Locust has sparked intense debate. I spoke with the owner of the adjacent tattoo shop and the building owner to understand the mural's impact on the community.
Matt Stolzenberg, owner of Black Dawn Tattoo, described his reaction to the mural as "a wild surprise."
"The second we opened the shop here, it felt like we were coming back home," Stolzenberg said. "And it’s equally as difficult to deal with saying goodbye to it."
Stolzenberg’s tattoo shop is located next to the controversial mural, and he has decided to close his doors as a result.
"My business is safe and inclusive tattooing, and I think we’re going to focus on that first. Regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or religion, everyone wants tattoos," Stolzenberg explained.
Watch: Controversial mural forces local tattoo shop to close amid political tensions
He said that customers have expressed concerns about the mural, with some questioning his store's involvement in the imagery. However, Stolzenberg emphasized that he was never informed about the mural beforehand.
“It’s ground zero for a political war right now, and that’s just not a place where you can comfortably do tattoos,” Stolzenberg added.
Ihsan Atta, the building and mural owner, told me last Friday that the mural was intended to bring attention to the genocide in Palestine. I asked him if losing a tenant was worth delivering his message.
“There are people losing their lives,” Atta responded. “So for me to lose business or lose money, I think it’s nothing compared to people losing their lives.”
This video, sent to TMJ4, shows a man allegedly destroying the mural's message over the weekend. This was the second attempt to deface the mural, after a local mother and artist used black paint to cover it earlier.
“There is definitely financial loss because of it,” Atta acknowledged. “But that’s something I’m willing to sacrifice because there is life lost.”
As Stolzenberg looks for a new location for his business, he stressed that his decision to leave is not politically motivated.
“We want to move somewhere that is less politically charged so we can do tattooing,” Stolzenberg said.
Atta, however, has no plans to stop expressing his message.
“There are more murals to come right here, and on other buildings I have,” he said.
Stolzenberg’s departure, though, is final.
“It’s just not an appropriate way to do business comfortably,” he concluded.
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