LOS ANGELES -October 23 - Citing fundamental free speech rights, the American Civil Liberties
Union of Southern California today filed a lawsuit on behalf of an artist
demanding that the City of Los Angeles allow his patriotic murals to remain
on display.
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| The City of Los Angeles says that zoning
rules allow them to order the removal of Mike McNeilly's patriotic mural. |
A few days after the terrorist attacks September 11, artist Mike McNeilly
erected a large mural entitled “9-11" with the words “God Bless America” beneath
the images of a New York City firefighter, an American Flag and the face of
the Statue of Liberty. The mural was erected on a privately owned building
in Westwood with the consent of the building's owner.
On September 21, 2001 the City of Los Angeles issued an order asking the
artist to remove the “9-11" mural. McNeilly refused.
“There is no justification for such infringements on private, noncommercial
speech,” said Dan Tokaji, a staff attorney with the ACLU of Southern California.
"This is especially true when the city not only tolerates but welcomes both
commercial and noncommercial artworks of comparable size on other buildings,”
he added, citing the many lively paintings on buildings lining Sunset Blvd.,
paintings of classical musicians next to the 110 freeway downtown, and giant-sized
paintings of Shaquille O'Neill and Wilt Chamberlain on a hotel near the Staples
Center.
“If there is anything that we should learn from our history,” said Tokaji,
“it is that the values that people are talking about these days - freedom
and democracy - are most in jeopardy in times of crisis. Now is a time when
we should be most vigilant to protect those freedoms that make this country
great and that unite us as Americans.”
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