LAKE WORTH, Fla. — A Martin Luther King Jr. mural was defaced over the weekend in Lake Worth causing outrage and costing thousands.
Depicting a larger than life MLK Jr. delivering his iconic 1963 “I Have a Dream Speech” in Washington, D.C. in, the civil rights leader occupies the entire back wall of the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County’s building in Downtown Lake Worth.
Alana Hope lives nearby.
“I love it. I remember the day they came to paint the mural and I was so happy to have the town be surrounded by art. It really brightens up the town,” she said.
It’s now been defaced. Over the weekend, someone sprayed graffiti the bottom right corner.
Julio Anderson rides by it every day on his bike.
“It’s crazy, I don’t know why people would do that,” Anderson said.
The Cultural Council says it will cost between $5,000 and $10,000 to fix and apply a special coat to make it easier to clean if it happens again.
“It’s sad because I met the painter, and he really put his heart and soul into it and for somebody to do that, I feel it’s really disrespectful,” Hope said.
Nearby, there’s other graffiti that’s easy to find but on this mural, it’s especially disappointing.
“It’s a shame and it’s really disrespectful that people would do that, not just art but on something that’s so monumental and represents so much,” Hope said.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office is investigating. It’s at least the second time this has happened recently.
An artist will be out on Tuesday morning to finish fixing it.