Echo Park Murals Covered by City

Two Echo Park murals created as part of an L.A. Endowment for the Arts grants project have been covered over by the Recreation and Parks Department.

A complaint reportedly had come in about “The Tree of the Middle Place (El arbol del medio),” a graffiti art mural by artist William (A-One) Gomez. It has been whited out along with an adjacent and uncompleted work depicting a hand holding a lotus root, being done by student artist Michael Blasi.

Artist Barbara Benish, who was involved in the project, noted that “graffiti art is a new form still, and obviously, it’s scary to people. But now it’s just a big, ugly blank wall again, and it’s going to be tagged up in a matter of days. (That mural) was something the kids in that park could be proud of.”

Recreation and Parks officials could not be reached for comment Wednesday, but Benish said the artists have started a letter-writing campaign and plan to appeal to Cultural Affairs General Manager Adolfo V. Nodal.