Rep. Duncan Hunter (R., Calif.), a hero, personally removed anti-police artwork from a tunnel that connects the Capitol with a House office building. Hunter removed the piece and personally delivered it to the congressional office of its sponsor, Rep. William Lacy Clay Jr. (D., Mo.).
The Washington Post reports that the painting was a part of the annual Congressional Art Competition, which allows high school students to submit artwork to their representatives. Each representative gets to select one work of art, which then hangs for a year in the tunnel between the Capitol and the Cannon House Office Building.
The painting depicts a horned animal in a police uniform aiming a gun at a black man, a reference to the police shooting in Ferguson, Missouri. The artist was a high school student from St. Louis, in Clay’s district. The work caused an uproar when it was first displayed.
Hunter heard other complaints about the piece, including from police and fellow members of Congress. Clay had refused to take the painting down, so Hunter did.
According to Hunter’s chief of staff, the hero took a screwdriver to the tunnel and took down the painting. He then took the work to Clay’s office. So far, it has not been put reinstalled. In response, members of the Capitol Police force have stopped by Hunter’s office to thank him. It is not clear if Clay will have the painting returned to the Capitol tunnel.
Apparently Rep. Duncan Hunter removed the painting depicting cops as pigs that Rep. William Lacy Clay chose to hang in the Cannon tunnel.
Hunter is a Marine Corps veteran who still serves as a reservist. Clay has never served military or law enforcement. He was in the Missouri legislature before succeeding his father in Congress. Hunter, too, succeeded his father, who ran for president in 2008 and served in the military.
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| Cannon Tunnel and after the removal of anti-police painting by Congressman Hunter. |
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| Congressman and former Marines Lt. Duncan Hunter. |
UNITED STATES - JANUARY 5: A controversial painting by Missouri student David Pulphus depicting police as animals hangs in the tunnel connecting the U.S. Capitol to the Cannon House Office building as part of the annual student art exhibit on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2017.
Controversial artwork was supposed to be on display until summer. The controversial painting had hung with other winners of an annual student art competition.
California Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter has removed from display in the Cannon tunnel the controversial student art contest painting of police-community relations in Ferguson, Missouri, that depicts police officers as animals. A Huffington Post reporter first tweeted a photograph of the empty space and said that Hunter removed it.
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| Congressman William Lacy Clay. |
The painting was selected as the 2016 Congressional Art Competition winner from Rep. William Lacy Clay's district in the St. Louis area. Reichert, who spent 33 years in law enforcement, had criticized the artwork earlier, and gave Hunter a phone call on Friday after finding out about the removal.
Visitors stopped by the area where the painting had hung in the tunnel between the Capitol and the Cannon House Office Building on Friday. Several were seen pointing to the empty spot. Neither Clay nor Hunter have returned requests for comment.
The painting, “Untitled #1,” has been
hanging in the Cannon tunnel for months and was supposed to remain until the
summer. The artist is former St. Louis high school student David Pulphus, who
depicted his vision of Ferguson’s tense police-community relations.
