BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) – The downtown Brownsville “BTX” mural painted by LA artist Teddy Kelly was defaced Monday evening according to the Brownsville Police Department.
The words “gentrified stop SpaceX” were spray-painted in dark blue on the bottom pink portion of the mural.
The incident occurred at E. 11th St and E. Levee St. on Monday, Feb. 14, 2022, at approximately 9:00 p.m.
Brownsville PD spokesperson Martin Sandoval told ValleyCentral that investigators are reviewing the footage caught by the downtown surveillance cameras.
The design of the mural was not damaged, and the city plans to paint over the writing.
The mural caused mixed reactions in the Brownsville community last September when it was completed. Community members were upset because a California artist was commissioned over a local one. The City of Brownsville paid LA artist Teddy Kelly $20,000 for the mural.
The funds for the mural came from money donated to the city by the Musk Foundation. The mural is part of the city Downtown Mural Program, which was set to commission three murals in the downtown area; so far only two of those murals have been painted. The second mural was painted by Mexican artist Sofia Castellanos.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Brownsville Crime Stoppers at (956)-546-TIPS (8477). One can also submit a tip by downloading the P3 mobile app.
