The NAACP is calling for a mural to be removed from a Palo Alto courthouse, saying it's racist and offensive.
The large mural depicts indigenous people kneeling in front of priests. It covers the high wall dividing two courtrooms on the first floor of the Santa Clara County Superior Court in Palo Alto.
The story was first reported by San Jose Spotlight.
Now, multiple groups want the mural removed or covered, calling it deeply offensive.
“No historical piece should be left up that reminds another culture or ethnicity that they have been marginalized,” said Raymond Goins, executive committee of the Silicon Valley Chapter of the NAACP.
Goins added that the mural, painted in the 1960s, showcases colonialism and belittles local indigenous people.
“So why would we want to endorse or have on view a portrait that reminds the native population that they were enslaved by their captors?” he said.
Local
The chairwoman of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe wrote in a letter to the court, “This artwork, draped across the walls of an institution meant to uphold justice, serves as a grotesque reminder of a history steeped in trauma, violence, and dehumanization.”
The court doesn’t want the mural either. Administrators said it doesn't support the court's mission to serve the public, adding that they asked the county to remove it four years ago. They also said they can't do anything without the county’s approval.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
The Santa Clara County Superior Court released the following statement on Tuesday:
"The mural does not support the Court’s mission to serve the public by providing equal justice for all in a fair, accessible, effective, efficient, and courteous manner: by resolving disputes under the law; by applying the law consistently, impartially and independently; and by instilling public trust and confidence in the Court. The Court asked the County, which owns the Palo Alto Courthouse, to remove the mural in early 2021."
According to San Jose Spotlight, the county has taken a position that the mural is a historical piece of art that cannot be painted over. Spotlight said the county has said it would support covering the mural if the court pays for it.
Deputy County Executive Sylvia Gallegos said in an email that the county would prefer the mural remain uncovered with the addition of a plaque providing interpretive and historical context. The county would also meet with organizations that are offended by the mural.
"Removing these works of art can be a form of erasing history and art history, and thereby the opportunity to stimulate community conversations about historical events," Gallegos wrote in the email. "Murals such as these keep history alive to avoid repeating past mistakes and to inspire community interrogations of past and present injustices."
Goins said the NAACP now plans to meet with supervisors individually to get their support in getting the mural removed.
“We don’t fly confederate flags in this county because it’s racist, right? And confederate flags are just as historical as that painting is,” he said.
