VENTURA : Youths Paint Mural With a Message

Michelangelo would be proud.

Teen-agers and children in one of Ventura’s poorest neighborhoods are trying to brighten their community by painting a colorful mural on the side of a liquor store.

It’s an eye-catching, colorful assault on the senses, splashing 70 feet wide and 12 feet high off a major commercial street on the city’s west end. It depicts gangsters burning their guns amid rainbows and sunshine. It shows lots of grass, sky and flowers. And it features children of various ethnicities, and messages such as “Stop the violence.” Another message states, “It’s not cool to target kids,” aimed at the alcohol and tobacco industries.

With the help of local artist M. B. Hanrahan, about 25 to 40 children age 6 to 17 arm themselves with paintbrushes and ladders several times a week and attack the white wall of Avenue Liquor Store, 580 N. Ventura Ave. They started May 10, and are expected to finish in about a week.

The mural is being funded by a grant from the Ventura County Alcohol and Drug Program, said Roberta Payan, director of Westpark, a neighborhood recreation center. Some of the older teen-agers receive school credit for the project.

Yvette Gutierrez, 10, said she is helping to paint because she wants her neighborhood to look prettier.

“Instead of tagging, you should cover up the place with murals,” Yvette said as she perched atop a ladder and created a light blue sky on the wall, accidentally smearing paint in her hair.

Payan acknowledged that it’s ironic to have an anti-alcohol and tobacco message on the side of a liquor store, but she said owner Ray Ramirez did not object to the mural. Ramirez could not be reached for comment Friday.

“Ray is trying to be a responsible businessman,” Payan said, “and a responsible businessman does not sell alcohol or tobacco to minors.”

Hanrahan came up with the mural idea, and the children approved, Payan said. Avenue Hardware and Sheridan Way School will also be targeted for murals, she said.

Rogelio Botello spent Friday afternoon painting a man on the wall, working within outlines that Hanrahan had already drawn. Periodically, he would lean back and check his work.

“You want to know what this means?” the 17-year-old said. “It means that someone cares about this place.”