The 2006 mural of John Lennon in Pacific Beach, San Diego was a beloved landmark that brought the neighborhood together. The mural was a replica of the photograph of Lennon by Robert Whitaker titled “Admiration.” It was a common occurrence for tourists to visit the mural to take and post pictures. Unfortunately, the mural has been subject to graffiti through many acts of vandalism over the years, but it has been able to be restored. However, on August 7, 2024 the mural was vandalized with spray paint beyond repair. The members of this community were very upset to see the destruction caused to the mural. The damage was so severe that it could not be touched up to restore it to its original state. Security cameras did capture the vandal who is guilty of destroying the mural, however, he has not been identified or caught. The San Diego Police Department was hoping that someone would recognize the suspect before he could vandalize other public artworks.
Haseeb Akbarzada is the owner of the smoke shop where the vandalism happened. Although community members could not understand any kind of motive to destroy the mural, he suspected that the vandal might have been paid to commit the act because he had also had his windows tagged and smashed before and received text messages suggesting that the vandals were hired. He argues that the vandalism was about business, not politics. Akbarzada has paid several times out of pocket to restore the mural after different acts of vandalism. This was becoming very difficult for him to do as it was costing him time, labor, and money. Since the damage after this act was too severe to fix and too upsetting to continue to see, Akbarzada simply painted over the whole mural with the intention of having an artist paint a new mural. He said that it cost him $3000 to replace it “for the neighborhood, just for the community.” But is it fair for Akbarzada to be funding the repair of all of this destruction on his own?
Public art is a great resource for communities and tourists. It is a way to experience art and culture without having to buy tickets for a museum or go to an art gallery. However, people might not want to put the money into a mural that is likely to be defaced with graffiti. This could mean a decline in public artwork creation. Can something be done to prevent the vandalism of public art? Some people argue that vandalism is simply adding new art to existing art. But many others disagree with this opinion. Although graffiti can be a really interesting art form, when it is used to vandalize the work of another artist, it is unacceptable. The Pacific Beach mural of John Lennon is already being replaced, but that does not mean it is safe from new acts of vandalism in the future. Something must be done to prevent these extreme acts of vandalism, or public art might fade away.
