SOCIAL AND PUBLIC ART RESOURCE C E N T E R

CULTURAL AFFAIRS COMMISSIONERS

REJECT BLACK PANTHER MURAL

The recent rejection by the Cultural Affairs commissioners of a mural depicting the

history of the Black Panther Party has revealed the extent to which politics and censorship have

usurped the role of ans in the city's planning processes. The mum! in question. "To Protect and

Serve" by noted artisr NOlli Olabisi. was commissioned by the Social and Public Art Resource

Center (SPARCl under its Gteat Walls Unlimited: Neighborhood Pride mural program. funded

by a contract wilh the City's CLllttlflll Affair.; Depa111nem. But the mural may never be paimed.

due largely to censorship efioIlS by members of the commi.:ssiol1.

SPARe is a non· profit <Jrts organization which operates with the philosoph)' that public

an should not be imposed upon a community from the outside. but rather. should emerge from

the world view. aspirations and concerns of the community as expres.sed by the people who li....e

there. Consequently, ever;.' SPARe mural begins with an intensive community proces£. In-roads

into targeted communities are achieved through an e:-.:!ensive nelwork. developed over the

organization's eighteen year history. which provides access 10 neighborhood social. political.

685 Venice Bouleva.rd. Venice, California 90191

(310) 822-9560 F;u (310) 827-8717
educ<ttion<tl and religious Ie<tders. churches, community centers, schools and social service First Meeting.

agencies. Once these individu<tls and agencies have been identified. trained community All of the city's murals must be approved by a panel of seven commissioners, who are

coordinators organize a series of public speakouts in which muhi-ethnic teams of artists and appointed by the Mayor. Because one commissioner's seat is vacam. a total of four votes is

designers meet with communi~ members who voice their ideas about what images best represent needed for approval, which is ~ased on guidelines determined by the 1991 Unifonn Build.ing City

their respectice cultures and neighborhoods. Input from these meetings is incorporated directly Ordinance Code Section 6216 and 6201 (b). In another pan of the ordinance. 6201 Cd)

into each mural. By heavily vesting the community in the design of the project. community "Ideological and Political Signs·. the ordinance specifically states that "no provision of this

members assiSt in creating a landmark which will serve as a source of pride and affinnation of chapter shall prohibit an ideologicnl, political or other noncommercial message on a sign

their cultural milieu. otherwise permined by this chapter." a mandate of which the commissioners. in their official

The controversy over the Olabisi mural began when SPARe recently approached the -- capacity as monitors of the city's public art. are supposedly aware. Yet such comments as "the

L.of lhe ~Iack Panther historical mural design. Following

city's artS commissioners ior appro,,·a.. Panthers were bad people. they killed police". "the &uns are so violent" and nit doesn't
~.

a lengthy d~ussiQ.n of it"Ssubject maner. the mural was rejected. and SPARe and the CAD are show police in a positive light" suggest otherwise. Following considerable discussion focussed

novi. embroiled in a passionate ongoing debate over the piece. At issue in the controversy are: on the mural's contents, approval was denied. The organization was asked to bring the artist to

-cellsorship of Dn African-American mural by an African·American al1ist to be placed in a second hearing to address the commissioners' questions.

the African-American community without African-American representation on the city· Olabisi. an artist of exceptional talent whose fi~1: Neighborhood Pride mural "No Justice.

wide ans commission; No Peace" (54th and Western Avenue) was received as one of Neighborhood Pride's strongest.

-withholding of funds to SPARe. resulting in non·pnyment to other commissioned artists most powerful pieces, obJj-ged. She was accompanied by members of the African-American arts

as well as SPARe employees; community. the site owner and several community members. all of whom voiced their

-an unwarranted questioning of the integrity of one of the city's mo~"t highly regarded unequivocal suppol1.

ethnic art institutions; and Olabisi's murnl is potentially sited at Hair E:'<pressions. 3406 West Jefferson Boulevard

-creation of guidelines for community process by a panel of commissioners who have no in the Jefferson Park community of Los Angeles. In a series of intensive meetings between the

qualifications to do so. artist, local residents and business owners. the community expressed its desire for positive role

models to work for the benennent of the area. Since the building houses a ~lyling salon. an

initial discussion of African-American hair ~\)'Ies in an historical come:\"t, lead from the" Afro"
 of the 60s to the civil rights movement nnd the Black Panther Pany, whose initial vision was to J)1ird Meeting.

find ways to change the underlying social conditions that deprived the African-American In the intervening two weeks, SPARC obtained close to 900 signatures from area

community of basic human needs. Olabisi"s design concept, which emerged as a response to residents. business owners. and others outside the immediate neighborhood. The organization

these discussions. memorialize.s the positive changes enacted by the SPP, including its "survival also assembled some thirty community members. community activists and artists. as well as

programs" that distributed food. clothing. shoes and medical care to needy community members, Reverend Leonard Jackson from First AME Church. a fonner Black Panther turned anomey. a

and sponsored education drives around sickle-cell anemia. a disease which mostly affects African- parole officer and a probation officer, All spoke eloquently on the importance of the mural to
Americans. their ~ommunity, and its potential social and historical irnp:let. Commissioner Camlen Zapata

compared the piece to Picasso's "Guernica". adding that it was "a magnificent piece of art,
Second Meetin2 and to den)' it would be a great loss to our city." Both Commissioners Mee Hae Lee and

over
-
A month before its scheduled;second..meeting;withthe commis£ioners. SPARe distributed

1.~OO.fliers.with iprciure of the mural on one side and a history of the Black Panther Party
Lee Ramer agreed that the design's artistic merit was "unquestionable". Nevenheless. Nate

Holden's Chief Deputy Louis White, reported that his office had received "a few phone calls"

on the other, advising residents and business owners that the mural was camino- to their opposing the mural. After hearing the testimony of the mUl1ll"s supporters. however. he added
o

commwtity. No objections, either by phone or by mail. were received in response. Yet the that he believed that Councilman Holden would sUPPOr1 the murnl if the Commission gave its

design W:lS. once again. rejected. this time on the prete),.1: that ·adequate community suppon had approval. The vote; For--Commissioners Mee Hae Lee. Cannen Zapata and Lee Ramer,

not been g:lrnered. Commission Vice·President Alycia Enciso commented that "she asked Against-Commission President Arthur Pfeffennan and Vice President Alycia Enciso. Jane

some of her African-American friends if the)' would like to see a ·mural on the Black ·Levant. who at a previous meeting had endorsed the mural. was on vacation.

Panthers. and 'they said no way.' Commission President Anhur Pfeffenn.. n asked SPARC to That same afternoon. An Pfeffennan notified SPARC that Nate Holden was withdrawing

furnish petitions. a wrinen report listing dates. activities and methodologies by which community his opposition. and that Pfeffennan would. therefore, do likewi£e. Finall)", the way seemed clear

support was obtained. and letters of support. in particul:lr an endorsement from Councilman Nate for the mural to go into production. Two d:lys before the next scheduled hearing. however.

Holden. in whose district the mural will be situated. A third hearing was scheduled. Pfeffennan changed his mind. stated his intention to do more "personal investigation" into the

maner, and set the hearing forward yet another two weeks. to October 6. Me:lnwhile. the

payment due SPARC as a milestone in its Neighborhood Pride comroct remains in the CAD's

pocket. and the institution's financial stabilitY is in serious jeopard)'. The Arts Commissions is.
 in effect. holding SPARe hOStage over an issue on which they have no right to rule. gro~p against the other. a situation that could prove disruptive for the residents and merchants

Based on the nature of the ongoing discussions centered around this mural. the only of Jefferson Park. a community in which she neither lives nor works. but she has also gone

conclusion one can reasonably draw is that of censorship in operation. By politicizing the completely outside the purview of her duties as a commissioner. As we wtderstand it. the

process. the opposing commissioners have clearly stepped outside of their mandated role of ruling commission's role is simply.to)udge. in session. the artistic merits of each piece presented.; it

on the altistic integrity of the city's public art works. By presenting a mural whose thematic is not. and should not, include the right of arts commissioners to go outside the commission

content might be tenned "controversial". SPARe apparently hit a nerve that resulted in an process and lobby privately either for or against any work of public att on which it is required

Wlprecedented and blatant barrage of requirements never before exacted in its many years of to rule.

presenting mural designs to the City. And if censorship and racism are nOt operational factors To produce a work of public art acceptable to every member of any given community

here, how else to explain Pfeffennan's sudden backtr.lckiog after the requirements whiCh he would mandate creation of a piece so bland that it would not even be walth painting. We live

himself established were so painstakingly met? - in a country that promises freedom of expression. To many of the supponers of Noni Olabisi's
... ~~ 't-o....
-
As if that is nOl:-'eonough. Vice President Enciso took it upon herself to go to the Jefferson
.
mural, the saga of the Black Panthers represents a significant pan of their history. a history that

Park community with a photo copy of the mural design. asking merchants nod residents for their they view as consistently erased. biased or distorted. In the words of the artist herself. "It is our
•
comments. and apparently to gl:lin confirmation for her statement during the third meeting that history. and no one can take it away from us."

some residents didn't know about the mural. However. she ftliled to disclose that she had also The Great Walls Unlimited: Neighborhood Pride mural program has provided a voice for

engineered a meeting with members of the local Japanese·American communitv. Almost two this community and a venue to tell their story. We believe they should be able to tell it. free of

weeks after the third meeting with the commissioners. we discovered that Enciso took the censorship.

findings from that meeting to the Mayor's office relaying that "they were afr.lid to openly

oppose the mural. for fear of being bombed". After this infonmnion came to our anemion.

SPARC immediately arrnnged a meeting with the same group. who denied the entire bombing

statement completely. In fact. SPARC subsequently receiVed l:l letter of support from the Seinan

Senior Citizen Center. a Japanese·American facility. We have since learned thilt Commissioner

Enciso has also 19bbied on her own to r.llly ildditional opposition to the mural and to bring

opponents to the upcoming October 6 meeting. In doing so. she is not only pining one ethnic

The Black Panther Party For Self-Defense was formed in Oakland in
October.of 1966 by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale, but did not surl'aee
publicly unill May 2, 1967 when the group marched into the CaUfomia State
Legislature in their uniform of black leather jackets and black berets. The
BPP waged a polltical protest, carrying shotguns. against a neWly enacted law
which made It Wegal to openly display guns in public. The BBP beUeved that
the law "nfalrly targeted Black people. insisting that those in positions of
authority (usually WhIte males), who had been allowed to tote guns in publie
for decades with full e:overnmenW permission and protection. were e%empt
from the law.
The Black Panther Party caught the nation off guard. They were
earrylng guns, organizing themselves, caUing themselves reVolution-aries,_.
-
1965. a elvll uprisine: which resulted -
and demanding radical changes. In the aftermath of the Watts Rebellion of
from eondltions of severe poverty and
frustration in the iJmer city, the BBP poslt!oned Itself at the far end of the
political speetrum. WhI!!';Whlte.activtsts in the late 1960's were deeply
involved in opWsing war in Vietnam, the BBP was focusing on local
strugJlles. After the. Watts Rebellion, the local police had become more
militarized and more broW, resembling an "occupying army" in
pred"mlnately Black, iJmer city communities. The BPP opposed what they
was
felt the senseless killing ofAfrican Americans at the hands ofthe pollee.
They organlud community policing patrols which armed themselves with
shotguns and law books to recite laws written to protect all U.S. citiuns
from police bruWity. Additionally, the BPP opposed money-hungry business
enterprises which exploited African American communities with little regard
for the people who lived in them. The BPP also attempted to organiu street
gang members into community activists struggling for constructive change.
Newton, the party's philosopher, and Seale, developed the Black
Panther Ten Point Platform to outUne the Party's beliefs and demands:
1. We wantfreedom. We want power to detennine the destiny of our
Black community.
2. We IDllntftdl employment ofour people.
3. We IDllnt an end to robbery by the Capitalist of our Black
community.
4. We IDllnt decent housing,fltfor shelter of human beings.
5. We IDllnt education for our people that exposes the true nature of
this decadent American society. We want education that teaches us
our true history and our role in the present-day society.
6. We IDllnt all Black men to be exemptfrom mfUtary service.
7. We IDllnt an immediate end to Police Brutality and murder ofBlack
People.
8. We want.freedomfor all Biack men held infederal, state. county
and city prisons and Jails.
9. We want all Black people when brought to trial to be tried in a
court by a Jury of their peer group or people from their Black
communities. as defined by the Constitution of the United States.··.
10.We want land, breqd, housing, education, clothing, justice and
peace. And as our nw,jor political objective. a United Nations-
supervised plebiscite to be held throughout tite black colony in which
only black colonial subjects will be allowed to participate, for the
purpose of detennining the wili of black people as to their national
destiny.
Huey Newton helped to found the Black Panther Party in order to
struggle for the freedom and raise the political consciousness of African
American people. The party, open to both men and women, committed Itself
to not only organizing and educating, but also servicing the community. The
BPP's "survival programs" distributed food, clothing, shoes and medical care
to needy community members. The BPP also sponsored education drives
around sickle-cell anemia, a disease which mostly affects African American
people. Stating that, "these programs satisfy the deep need of the
community, but... are not solutions to our problems", Newton's vision was to
lind .ways to change the underlying social conditions that deprived the
African American community of basic human needs.
The BPP was greatly feared by the U.S. government. They were under
constant FBI and CIA surveWance. labeled as "armed and dangerous". FBI,
CIA, and police informants Infiltrated the group and circulated rumors to
create dIstrnst among Party members. BPP leadership was also routinely
harassed, jailed and killed. (COlNTELPRO, the counter-Intelligence program
of the U.S. government at the time. has lIIes which document its attempts
to Infiltrate and overthrow groups like the BPP). This outside infiltration and
Inner distrust eventually led to the break-Up of the Black Panther Party.
 The legacy ofthe Black Panther Party and its struggle to fight for more
humane andjust social and economic conditions for African Americans lives
on. In an etrort to· hand down this piece of history to the younger
generations. the Olabisi mural is a document and tribute to the history of
African Americans in the United States.
 COMMENTARY

September 23, 1994

Los Angeles Times
Editor - Commentary
Times Mirror Square
Los Angeles, california
Dea r Editor:
Your Thursday, September 22, 1994, edition of the Los Angeles
Times featured an article written by David Horowitz, entitled RA '60s
Reviyal We Do", Ne.d: Black p.,thers.· Of course, this a Ameriea and
everyone has a right to voice their opinion - whether right or
wrong. I hope there is room in the Times for a contrary opinion.
Because there is in fact a resurgence of -panther activity· in this
countr Y the reasons for this phenomenon should be fully and
co rrect i y unde rstood.
Mr. Horowitz's assessment of the Black Panther Party (BPP) may
be understandable given his stated ·personal reason to remember the
dark side of the history" of the Panther Party, but it is obviously
one-sided and therefore biased. Undoubtedly there was a "dark" side
of the Panther PartYj but there is a Rdark R side to everyone and
everything. No need to single out the BPP. In fact, in the real"
world, nothing is all positive or all negative. The Black Panther
Party (BPP), contrary to the assertions of Mr. Horowitz, certainly
was not ill negativej in fact, arguably, its positive qualities
clearly outweighed any negatives. "
I know there are many other African·Americans who read the
Horowitz article and who share my sentiment that an appropriate
response is needed if for no other reason than to "set the record
straight." I feel uniquely qualified to address the "bright" side
of the BPP and what I refer to as the "Black Panther Movement"
[which obviously Mr . Horowitz does not, and probably cannot see
because of his own biases and prejudices]. Historically speaking,
the Black P..,lh.r Movement actually began" during the late 50' s in the
South, Mississippi to be exact. The Mississippi Freedom Democratic
Party was the first to use the ·panther symbol,· and it was closely
associated with the efforts of Southern Blacks to gain their right
to vote in the all-white Democratic Party Election Primaries.
The Black P..,lher Party for 581'-Def.... , as it was known when first
organized in oakland, California by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale
in 1966, was one of several ·panther like· groups which "reemerged"
during the mid-60's in response to the perce1ved failure of the
Civil Rights Movement. One could say that the "panther" has arisen
during times of crisis in African·American communities. It arose
during the 50's when our determination to break the back of "jim
crow' laws [which sought to criminalize resistance efforts of Black
Page 2: Los Angeles Times/Commentary - Sspembar 23,1994 Page 3: Los Angeles Times/Commentary - Ssp.mbar 23, 1994

people] spa rked the voting rights movement; during the 60' Sour
relentless challenges to poverty and racism again brought forth the unemployment rates have become just as socially acceptable as "soup
"black panther movement." lines· of homeless African·American man, women and families of
color. Amidst this squalor and degradation, to the dismay of those
One must not forget that when Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale who would ·apologize" for racism and oppression, arises a "new
first organized the. BPP in 1966 Black communities across the panther movement.'
country were literally aflame and under siege by white-dominated
police departments; the brutality and abuse of power by police T1iE BLACK PANTHER PARTY IS DEAD - LONG LIVE T1iE PANTHER MOVEMENT!
officers was the rule and not the exception. During the 60'sJ
intolerable conditions of poverty, "officially" segregated and
inferior schools, racist housing and employment practices, and
discriminatory and exploitative business practices J began to ignite
social and political rebellions within and without the Afr~can­ B. Kwaku Duren was a former Coordinator of the Southern california
American communities. It was out of these conditions that the BPP Chapter of the BPP from 1975-1980; he has been a political activist
first organized ·self-defense- police patrols J free-food giveaway with many, many years spent organizing inside and outside the
programs, and developed other ·survival" programs within Black African-American community. Mr. Duran is duly licensed to practice
communit1es across the country - and, in fact, by their efforts, law in the state of California. He is also actively involved in the
heightened the social and political contradictions out of which organizing of the N_ Ahlcan-Amerlcan Vanguard Movement [one of those
fundamental changes occur. ·panther revivalist" organizations that Mr. Horowitz correctly
_~ iY.-,..~ ~ points out, is reemerging in African-American cities across the
As we looil.. arou d in the 90's the mythical "color-blind" country] .
institlltiOQ of'" Justioe in this country is clearly at odds with
concrete facts evidencing the "criminalization" of African-American -30-
and other youth of oolor. As we enter this last decade of this
century we a re still confronted with some rather morbid facts of
life and many institutionalized forms of racism and classism •
adversely affecting untold numbers of poor African-Americans and
other people of color. A recent U.S. Sentencing Commission report
showed that 63% of people imprisoned under federal mandatory drug
sentencing laws were African-American or Latino, and that one-third
of the total had no prior criminal record.
During the past twenty years the U.S. prison population has
become the largest in the world; i t certainly appears that the
blinded lady's scales of justice is systematically weighted against
the interests of young African·American and Latino males who fill,
disproportionately, the jails and prisons of the USA. Can anyone
seriously doubt that these young men are the real victims of the
now-lost American "War on Drugs and Crime."
In the 60' s there was a "bright" side to the Black Panther
Party and the "Panther movement" that i t was part and parcel of.
This "bright" side represents a dedication and a determination to
overcome adversity and oppression. As the "panther" reemerges in
the 90's, and legitimately so, lets not forget from whence it came.
Rev. Martin Luther King is often quoted as saying that "truth
crushed to the ground will rise one day."
The BPP was crushed by the weight of "official government
repression" and its own immaturity as a revolutionary organization
composed mostly of young people. As we approach the 21st century,
there is massive deterioration of the American economYj soaring
 Letters to The Times;
.Black
Panthers
• The Column Right by David Horowitz
("A '60s Revival We Don't Need:: Black
Panthers," Sept. 22) is a very distorted
account of black militancy in the 19605-
Horowitz recklessly labels the Blaek Pan-
then u Wan organi%e<J.. street gang with
political hustle" who allegedly committed
crimes against ghetto residents. Many
members of the Panther party. as shown in
the works of historian Manning Marable
and the recent aULohiography of former
Panther Elaine Brown. did not engage in
criminal activity and fought tirelessly
. against severe deprivation and racial injus-
tices. Such dedication produced a number
of social programs which met certain needs
of poor black families and restored some
dignity and pride to their lives.
The recent formation of Panther ehap-
letS in several large cities is 0( greal
concern to Horowitz. He chastises the
. Hampton a knockout pill
-FRIDAY. _-
...•. SEPTEMBER 30. 1994
leaders of two chapters for threatening
public authorities with violent and revolu·
tionary change. This militancy is largely
the result of economic neglect and misery
that extend back to the terrible conditions
in the ghetto 30 years ago. Horowitz would
serve th~ public (ar better by devoting
more attention to the grievances of the '60s
Panthers and discussing the connection
betw~n their defWlce and current black
anger.
MARTIN SCHIESI
Missio.n Viejo
• Horowitz clost'd by claiming he has
waged an uphill batUe to bring the true
story o( the Panthers to light and to keep it
in the public eye.
Without appearing to defend the Pan.
then, I believe in the interest of truth he
should have pointed out that (or many
years the FBI literally ran the Panthers by
extensively infiltrating the movement. The
head o( the Chicago Black Panthers, Fred
Hampton, was shot to death in his bed by
the Chicago police.. His bodyguard, who'
was an undercover agent. had slipped
For 13 years a court case ensued. whieh
resulted in the exoneration o( Hampton,
but no criminal charges were filed against
the Chicago police. However. there was a
setUement. o( a SI.5 million award paid to
Hampton's survivors.
The e((orts o( the FBI to discredit and
destroy various movements in the 1960s is
well·documented. the most notorious case
being that o( J. Edgar Hoover's vendetta
against Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
HERBERT B. LAMONT
Gardena
IIos Angeles mimes
RlOiAROT. Sau.OSaERC III
IiuJIibJwr iIIWI OW{ ~ 0fIkPr
Vol. XVII, No. 383 SERVING LOS ANGELES AND SURROUNDING AREAS

By ANGElA JOHNSON

A long and hard fought

triumph for the African
American and cultural arts
roIDmunity came to fruition as
the Cultural Affairs Commis-
sion unanimously, and finally
after protracted debate, ap-
proved the production of the
mural entitled "To Protect
And Serve; by noted artist
NoDi Olabisi, at their meeting
with the artist, her supporters
and staff and administration
of the Social aDd Public Art
Resource Center held last
week October 6.
Olabisi's mural design
deals with the historical real-
ity of the Black Panther
Party. "To Protect and Serve~
was commissioned by the ~
cial al:ld Public Art Resource
Center (SPARe) UDder its
Great Walls 'Unlimited:
Neighoorhood Pr~~ mural
program, funded by a rontrad
with the City', Cultural M·
fairs Deparbnent. The mural
will potentially be located at
Hair Expressions, 3406 West
Jefferson Boulevard in the
Jefferson Park community of Noni Olabiai k.Deels, along with three 54th Street Elementary School stu.
Los Angeles. dent!, in front ofber mu.n.l "No JUlItice, No Peace,· ....hich 'WaS apouored by
the SPARe Gtut Walli Un1imi1.edPrognm ill 1991. "No Justioe, No Peace"
Immediately at the top of if; located on 54th Stnet at the corner ofWemm.
the meeting, the Commission
president, Arthur Pfefferm.an, Councilwoman Rita Walters' abruptly, he called for a vote,
hurriedly announced that be* office (Distrid 9), and Judith at which time the mural was
cause of a prior engagement Baca, artistic director of unanimously approved. It
he would be unable to stay SPARe, offered their com* was as simple as that. Only,
long, and thus would only ments of support for the pI'O* the process of getting to this
have time to hear statements ject. Pfefferman cut Baca. off point was by no means simple
from two proponents and one - abruptly, giving a sketchy list in anyone's book.
opponent of the mmal project of some of the concerns the The commission's ap-
at most. before calling for the commission had in relation to proval was well received by
vole. the mural. And just as the capacity crowd, oonsider-
Howard Ganb:nan, from ing that up until this particu*
lar meeting the Commission
had withheld their approval of
the mural dwing three pre-
vious meetings with SPARe.
It was highly question-
able whether the mural would
ever be painted because of
See PANTHER, page 17

PANTIIER
Continued from frout page
what SPARe officials termed
~censorship efforts of the 0)D1-
miSsion." The mural had.
from the outset, been met with
vigorous opposition by the
Cultural Affairs Commission,
which ironically lacks repre-
sentation from the African
American rommunity.
SPARe officials say that
per usual, on February 8, the
beginning of their project. sea·
son, they presented a roster of
proposed mural projects to the
Cultural Affairs Cornn:rission
for approval, all of which were
accepted, save one.
'-0 Protect and Serve," a
powerfully-moving portrait de-
picting the leaders of the
Black Panther Party in a
stance of strength and deter-
mination-decked...~ut_ ..in ~!J1eir
signature bladt'"turt1e neck,
b1acJl..baret stylishly tilted to
. " the side and the black leather
jacket-apparently drew out
the ttunmissioners' latent
" fears. The mUIal was disap-
proved for the first time. Addi-
tionallyI the ColDlDissioD
.asked that the artist be
brought before them to answer
some of their questions. This
initial setback was the pre-
curser to several meetings and
debates, which included two
more rejections oftbe mural.
All of Los Angeles' mu·
rals must be approved by a
panel of seven commissioners,
who are appointed by the
Mayor. One commissioner's
seat is vacant, making a total
of four votes necessary for a
project's approval.
SPARC complied with
the Commission's requesL
Upon the second meeting, Au·
gust 18, Olabisi appeared
along with SPARC panelists
who selected her work, com·
munity residents and a host of
SPARe supporters. Again the
mmal was disapproved by the
COmmission: For-eommission·
ers Lee Ramer, Mee Hae Lee,
Jane Levant; Against-Com-
mission President Arthur Pfer·
ferman and Alycia D."Enciso.
Pfefferman directed
SPARe to file a report with
him recording their decision
and selection process, petitions
sbowing community support
and a letter of support from
ColDlcilman • Nate Holden.
SPARe complied by canvass·
ing the community, held meet-
ings with community residents
~ discussing the mural and its
content, collected 900 signa-
tures in favor of the project,
and from aD indications the
community response was posi-
tive about the mural.
SPARe was, however,
not able to "gamer the support
of Councilman Nate Holden, in
whose disbict the mural will
be placed, although Gus Har-
ris, a leader in the Jefferson
Park Improvement Project,
found no objection to the mu;
ral. At a third Commissi~n
meeting, September 1st, the
mural was again disapproved
by the panel. Another meeting
- on a sign otherwise permitted by this
was scheduled for the third
week in September and then
See PANTHER, page 18
Pace 18
PANTIIER
eontiln1ed from. pap 17
rescheduled for October 6th, at which
time the project finally met with the
Commission's approval.
In addition to the folD' meetings
with the Commission, SPARe conduded
more than 20 meetings with the commu·
nity and the art:iJlt in efforts to measure
up to the Comm:ission's requirements.
Based on guidelines determined by
the 1991 Uniform Bailding City Onti-
nance Code Section 6201 (d), "Ideoloeical
and Political Signs,· the ordinAncz spe-
cifically states that "no provision of this
chapter sliall prohibit an ideological, p0-
litical and other noncommercial message
chapter." This is 8 mandate with which
the commissioners, in their official role as
monitors of the city's public art, are pre-
sumed to be intimately" familiar. Yet
SPARe officials maintained that during
the first three meetings with the commis-
sion, comments were made-ie. "the Pan-
thers were bad people, they killed police,"
and "it doesn't show police in a positive
ligbt"-wbicb suggest the contrary.
Prior to the Commission's meeting
with SPARe on October 6th, a closed·
door executive session was called by the
City Attorney, Mark Brown. According
to wbat she was told by ber attorney
who spoke with Brown prior to his con·
vening the executive session, Bsca said
she suspects that Brown informed the
Commissioners. "That they were in via--
lation already, precipit.ated by the fact
THE LA. WAT!'S TIME
ENTERTAIN:
that the American Civil Liberties UniOD
had asked for a transcript" from the pre·
vious meetings. Baca nys that relin·
quishing the transcript, 'Would have
exposed that the Commission had al·
ready overstepped its bounds. In other
words, according to Chapter 62, it pro·
hibits them from speaking about the
content or to deny production of any
(mw-al) beeause of its ideological mn·
tent."
The vast amount of community
support is believed to have swayed the
Commission to finally approve "'To ~
ted and Serve"; that and the possibility
of pending legal action had the project
been. disapproved a fourth time with
SPARe baving met all of the Commis-
sion's requirements.
The image of wbo and what the
Black Panther Party and their struggle
was all about bas been distorted and di-
luted over the decades, yet their staunch
sense of black manhood. has again be-
come, as in the '60s, a source of pride
among the neo-Black Revolutionaries,
black intelligentsia, the" hip bop nation,
and regular black folk alike. It is hoped
that after all of the discussion and de-
bate, this mural, which memorializes the
positive changes initiated by the Black
. Panther Party, can stand as 8 significant
chapter in American history, and serve
as a tool of education and understanding
for the community of Jefferson Park and
the city of Los Angeles.
The artist, Olabisi, is just glad to be
able to get on with her work-the aeation
of this thougbt.provoking mural-and
says she'D begin painting -as &OOn as
they sandblast the waD.-