MARBLEHEAD — One month into its permanent residence, the sidewalk pride mural has been disturbed with two black skid marks along its length. The mural is located in front of the Marblehead Chamber of Commerce Information Booth, on an island between Pleasant Street and Essex Street. It was originally presented to the Select Board by the Cultural Council on June 14, and was crafted by artist Ties Jan de Blij less than a week later. Since then, it has been met with both positive and negative feedback from residents.
However, these mysterious black markings could be the first physical sign of outrage and disdain for the mural.
Long-time resident and Information Booth staff member Phil Cash notified the police upon discovering the graffiti. Cash said that he noticed the first marking on Saturday morning, and the second one was not present until Sunday morning. He notified the police in both instances, as well as took to Facebook to send a warning to the potential culprits.
“I was really ticked about it, so I put a thing up saying, ‘Whoever’s doing it, stop,’” Cash said. “I said, ‘The police are looking for you…’ I was trying to scare them off.”
Cash emphasized that he unfortunately did not bear witness to either of the potentially intentional acts.
The Marblehead Pride Committee, in charge of many LGBTQ+ events, posted a statement to Instagram saying that it is not backing down from spreading its message and endorsing the mural.
“We are determined to educate and strengthen the bonds of our community until every individual feels respected,” the statement said. “TJ de Blij’s artwork is a symbol of love and peace. This is the message we will continue to spread throughout our town.”
Police Chief Dennis King expressed his disappointment in the defacement of the pride painting, whether it was purposeful or not. He gave an update on the police department’s investigation on how these markings came to be.
“We are investigating to determine who is responsible for what appears to be bike-tire marks,” he said. “We have not identified anyone at this point.”
