MILWAUKEE — A mural in Milwaukee combining the Star of David with a swastika was defaced Friday.
The mural is located at Holton and Locust. The site formerly displayed a mural of Breonna Taylor.
The mural features the text, "The irony of becoming what you once hated."
The message was later covered in black paint, and that’s where the story begins.
Artist and neighborhood resident Sarah Ninham had a simple question after she decided to paint over the mural.
“Am I gonna get in trouble for doing this?” she asked.
When I met Sarah, she explained her motivation for taking action.
"Yeah, that’s wrong. We’ve got too many kids that play over here," she said.
Sarah claims she painted over the message herself. The once-visible words are now hidden under black paint.
“I just needed something that was dark enough to cover it,” she added. “There is enough hate out here. We don’t need this.”
Watch: Milwaukee mural combining Star of David with swastika defaced, sparks tense debate
However, moments after our interview about the mural, the man responsible for the original message showed up.
“Why should our kids have to wake up and see that?” Sarah confronted him.
His response: “So that history doesn’t repeat itself.”
That man is Ihsan Atta, the owner of the mural. He explained the message behind his controversial art.
“It’s to bring awareness to the genocide that’s taking place in Palestine,” Ihsan said.
After learning that his mural had been vandalized, Ihsan had a surprising reaction.
“I actually appreciate that she did it because by her doing that, she brought all this media attention to it. It’s too bad she’s trying to stifle free speech and the freedom of expression,” he said.
Sarah acknowledged his intent but still disagreed with the way the message was conveyed.
“It doesn’t fit the neighborhood. I get what they were trying to express; I just feel like they could’ve expressed it a different way,” she said.
For Ihsan, part of his goal was to spark necessary conversations. Judging by the growing debate, he seems to have succeeded.
Ruth Weil, another resident of the neighborhood and a self-described anti-Zionist Jew, added her perspective to the discussion.
“I understand the swastika is very triggering, and I get that. I also think for Ihsan and others, what’s happening in Palestine and the West Bank is also very triggering,” Ruth said.
The space where the mural now stands once displayed a tribute to Breonna Taylor. Ihsan shared plans for that artwork’s future.
“I still have the Breonna Taylor mural. I’ve also been in conversations with some ambassadors of the neighborhood to see where we can put it,” he said.
Riverwest, a diverse and eclectic neighborhood, is no stranger to differing opinions. But one thing many residents agree on is the need for more dialogue.
“We need to have discussions. We need to be able to educate people,” Ihsan emphasized.
Sarah, however, believes a more peaceful message would be better suited for the area.
“Why can’t we just put up a peace sign?” she wondered.
Ruth believes the mural, controversial as it may be, serves a purpose.
“Something like this can get people talking,” Ruth said.
In a neighborhood filled with varying viewpoints, one thing is clear—conversations need to continue.
In a Facebook post, the Milwaukee Jewish Federation called the mural "horribly antisemitic."
"It is extremely dehumanizing and antisemitic to use the trauma of the Jewish people as a weapon against them," the Federation added in an emailed statement.
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