The big story here is not about Republican’s tearing down art they do not like, that goes without saying, but rather that this is a show by Republicans that they are in total control of everything, can now do whatever they like, and there is nothing anyone can do about it. And in 9 days it will get a lot worse.
First it was Republican Duncan Hunter who ripped the painting from the wall and took it to the office of Black Caucus member Lacey Clay who put it back up. Next it was Republican Doug Lamborn who tore it down again and took it to Lacey Clay who put it back up. Next it was Republicans Dana Rohrabacher and Brian Babin who did it a third time which Clay again put back up. Republican leadership Paul Ryan and Kevin McCarthy said they would “see to it personally” that it is permanently removed.
Let’s take a look at this painting.
First the underground walkway of the capitol is filled with hundreds of pictures that are the winners of school art contests in each district. Lacy Clay’s district includes Ferguson, Missouri. The high school student who painted and won the contest is David Pulphus who witnessed all the trouble in Ferguson.
The painting is very busy. Let’s go from the top down.
First we see the St Louis Arch in the background to give it the where. Next to that a young black man behind bars depicting the unfairness of our incarceration system. In the center a peaceful march of African Americans and a car depicting driving while black. On the left in front of a beauty parlor a black men drinking, a man yelling through a blow horn and a black women with a big afro. On the Right we have the a black man crucified by the unfairness of our criminal justice system and a good cop arresting a black man. And up front we have two bad cops as pigs with guns drawn about to shoot and unarmed black man depicted as a black dog.
All of which is the reality for African Americans who understand this painting all too well.
In two years the Republicans are expected to win a super majority in the Senate [they only need eight of the 12 Democratic Senators up for re-election in Republican controlled states] and will have the Supreme Court wrapped up for a generation.
And with that power, they can do more gerrymandering and more suppression of the vote to carry it on for generations to come.
Ya know, nuclear war doesn’t seem all that bad…