The City of Dallas has forced a property owner to tear down a mural honoring the five police officers killed in an ambush on July 7, 2016.
The mural was located on a fence at the Last Call Lounge. It had the names of the five fallen police officers on the fence.
The City of Dallas said the mural and the fence it was on violated the city’s building code. They claimed that the fence could conceal illegal activity at the lounge.
The city says they cited the owner in May 2017, took pictures of the unpainted fence in June 2017, and the owner painted the mural in July 2017. The city then filed a lawsuit against Last Call Lounge to seek the mural’s removal.
However, Last Call Lounge owner Cesar Paz disputes the city’s account. He claims that he didn’t receive a citation until after he completed the mural.
The city’s decision has stunned Paz. “We thought we were doing something right and something nice for the city. We never thought we were going to have these kinds of issues,” Paz told CBS 11.
Paz can no longer afford to fight the city, so he was forced to remove the mural. “It was for our officers, now you know it’s gone,” said Paz.
Valerie Zamarripa, the mother of Patrick Zamarripa who was one of the officers killed, tried to save the memorial when she heard about the controversy. She tried to find a solution for both Paz and the city.
“It keeps him alive so nobody ever, ever forgets,” said Zamarripa. “I feel like Dallas has bigger issues to deal with than to be dealing with this.”
Zamarripa also questioned the values of the city of Dallas. “Why is the city picking on this mural? Do they not see what it represents?” she asked.
Workers demolished the mural and sent it to the Dallas office of the National Latino Law Enforcement Organization. The group will work to find a permanent home for the painting. Hopefully, it won’t be long.
AAN Staff
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