TRENTON – A mural was painted over Monday afternoon after Trenton police expressed concern that the painting, depicting Michael Brown, a Ferguson, Mo., teen who was fatally shot by police in August, sent the wrong message about community and police relations.
The painting depicted Brown’s face with the caption “Sagging pants … is not probable cause.” Will “Kasso” Condry, the artist behind the mural, said he wanted to start a conversation about racial profiling.
The Trenton Downtown Association elected to remove the image after hearing concern from police officers that the mural sends a negative message about the relationship between police and the community.
The mural was painted by artists from the Sage Coalition about two weeks ago on a gate covering the entrance to a vacant storefront on the corner of North Broad and Hanover streets to cover an illegal advertisement for a nearby liquor store.
Condry said he did not come up with the idea to paint Brown’s image, rather, it was a group effort of many artists from Sage reflecting on Brown’s killing, the reactions and protests in Ferguson and their own experience with racial profiling by police.
Condry said he and Sage got permission from the Trenton Downtown Association to paint on the gate, but that TDA did not know what he was going to paint.
Martin said police said the painting did not promote peace in the community, especially when they are working to build a good relationship between residents and the police department.
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