Jon Chown/Register-Pajaronian
Nancy Perez (from left), Chris Alonso, Sandino Gomez and Yadira Diaz stand against the wall at a packed City Council Chambers Tuesday night. Signs supporting the Brown Berets Bike Shack mural are behind them.

Bike shack mural approved
Council votes to leave artwork and review city’s policy
Published: January 28th, 2009, from the Register-Pajaronian, Page 1

With students taping “Save The Mural” signs to the walls and filling the seats, the Watsonville City Council meeting felt a little like a pep rally Tuesday night and after the council retroactively approved the Brown Berets Bike Shack mural on a 6-1 vote, it sounded like one.

The mural on the bike shack on the 500 block of Main Street has spawned controversy since its creation in November. The spray-paint mural originally depicted, among many other images , a man and woman wearing masks with their fists raised and the phrase “Pimp the System.” Graffiti-style writing and art also adorn the wall that is visible from Radcliff Elementary School.

Since then, a number of changes have been made in an effort to make the mural appear more presentable, but a permit for the mural had never been obtained. The building’s owner, George Ow Jr., submitted an application on Dec. 2. The council weighed whether to allow the mural retroactively, order further changes or its elimination .

The discussion started with City Councilmember Emilio Martinez requesting Manuel Bers’¡min clarify his statement in Tuesday’s Register-Pajaronian that he was biased for the Brown Berets. He also requested he recuse himself from voting . “It was a bad choice of words, but I do believe in the Brown Berets “¦ and I think that’s pretty well-known ,” Bers’¡min said. “I am sure I can make a fair decision “¦ it’s not about the Berets, it’s about the mural process.” And he pointed out that he has not always supported their views on decisions on the past.

Jenn Laskin, a Pajaro Valley Unified School District teacher and organizer for the Brown Berets , then gave a presentation on the history of murals in America and the alterations that had been made to the bike shack mural.

“I hope you will allow us to keep this mural, because it is a source of inspiration,” she concluded .

Councilmember Luis Alejo requested a review of the mural policy, suggesting it may even be unconstitutional. “As a city, considering we have a graffiti problem “¦ hopefully we can consider that,” he said.

Martinez was quick to agree, saying he did not like to sit in judgment of art.

“It’s an ordinance that’s really not clear and concise. I really don’t like this process,” Martinez said. With that said, the meeting opened up to public comment and more than a dozen people quickly formed a line to speak.

“We modified this mural just to please the rest of the community ,” said Vanessa Ledesma, a student at Cabrillo College. “The main reason we have this bike shack is to attract youth and do positive things. This has definitely inspired me and a few other Brown Berets to go out with our paint rollers and get rid of the graffiti.”

George Ow Jr., the building’s owner, also spoke in favor of the mural.

“I’ve put up murals in Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz and Capitola and have never gotten a permit. If we would have known, we would have gotten one. I will gladly pay for the permit and any reasonable penalty,” Ow said. “I want to thank these young people, because they have beautified the area. I think there is a possibility of Watsonville encouraging murals “¦ and possibly improving the economy .”

Alejo moved to approve the mural, and the motion was seconded by Kimberly Petersen. Then a discussion ensued. Councilmember Greg Caput spoke first. “Most everybody I’ve talked to says they don’t like the mural,” he started. But he then explained that art is subjective and often controversial.

“I want to give a lot of latitude to an artist’s poetic license. Your mural doesn’t have to reflect my views of the world,” Caput said.

Martinez said he supported keeping the mural, but wanted changes made to the area that faces Radcliff Elementary. He said teachers at the school had expressed concerns that the graffiti-style design was intimidating and seen by young children as “gang” symbols. Councilmember Dale Skillicorn said he wanted to create a new mural policy before deciding what to do about the bike shack mural, while Alejo said that requiring modifications to the mural amounts to censorship.

“Graffiti art is a very popular form of art these days,” Alejo said.

In the end, Skillicorn was the lone vote against letting the mural stand. Martinez even abandoned his position to change the mural when a motion to review the city’s mural policy was attached to the motion to leave the mural unchanged.

“That’s not fair,” he complained, before voting yes.

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