A San Diego charter school has decided to cover up a mural depicting a spear piercing President Trump’s bloody, severed head, and the artist has reportedly agreed to revise the painting.
“We understand that there was a mural painted at the event this past weekend that does not align with our school’s philosophy of non-violence,” MAAC Community Charter School director Tommy Ramirez said in a statement, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. “We have been in communication with the artist — who has agreed to modify the artwork — to better align with the school’s philosophy.”
“Our school has a focus on critical thinking; our students learn their academic curriculum by examining current issues. We expect that this, and other murals, will give cause for conversation among our student population and are ready to help them reflect on it and formulate their own opinions about its message and implications,” the statement continued.
Sasha Andrade, who painted the portrait as a part of an annual scholarship fundraiser where urban art is highlighted in an alley behind the school, according to the Union-Tribune, unapologetically posted the mural on Facebook with the words, “They can try to #censor it but here it is guys!!!!”
The artist also posted about threats she says she has received since painting the mural.
“This is the ‘America’ we live in,” wrote Andrade, “hate threats to the extent of bashing my deceased baby nephew, really? And it comes from a ‘grown’ man that apparently wasn’t raised the right way, talking about killing and God in the same message, but hey if the so called ‘President’ does it they think its ‘ok’, because that is the only thing this man has done, bring racism and white supremacists to hide behind their computers and harass anyone who does not support trump.”
The school reportedly covered the mural with plywood on Friday after receiving complaints.
“Obviously there’s a lot of concern over what is depicted,” said district public information officer Manny Rubio, according to the Union-Tribune. “Because of that, they’re going to rework it. Our ultimate goal is that instruction continues and is not interrupted.”