Vandalism of John Lewis mural in Warner Robins caused ‘deep sadness.’ Artist restores it

Kevin “Scene” Lewis was busy Monday restoring the mural he created of an iconic civil rights activist, the late Georgia Congressman John Lewis.

The Warner Robins Police Department said Monday that it had arrested a suspect and added Tuesday that it was an emotionally charged and intentional act.

Police Chief Wayne Fisher said since both Lewis and the suspect were Black, the department confirmed it was not a hate crime.

“The offender is a Black male, so in regards to that, we were able to identify that it was not a hate crime in that relation point to another race,” Fisher said.

The suspect “made a mission statement” to police when he was arrested Monday as to why he defaced the mural, Fisher said. The chief could not disclose the reason as the case was under investigation.

“There was a component to it that is of concern in the nature of it was focused as to why he did what he did,” Fisher said at a press conference Tuesday morning. “You have the undertone into what is the root cause of why they’re trying to cause an emotional reaction to disrupt relations within the community itself, or if you have another motive behind that.”

The mural at 114 S. Commercial Circle in Warner Robins was defaced Friday, June 21 by a man who was seen leaving the nearby Ace Hardware. He purchased white spray paint, then within 10 minutes defaced the symbolic artwork across the street, Fisher said.

“The offender... attempted to purchase the paint initially off of one debit card, and then had utilized another debit card to make that transaction, which identified the name for the investigation,” Fisher said.

The man was arrested and charged Monday with second-degree criminal damage to property – a felony. He was also charged with criminal trespass entry upon land – a misdemeanor.

The police department was informed about the incident about two hours after it happened, Fisher said. He called on residents to report incidents that seem suspicious in order for police to respond quicker.

“I’m sure there was probably somebody that drove by the scene of him spray painting and chose not to call,” Fisher said. “Had a call come in earlier, we may have had this resolved a lot quicker.”

Kevin “Scene” Lewis, who lives in Warner Robins, said he was saddened when he received the news of the defacement while at an art show at a Juneteenth festival in Durham, North Carolina.

“I was expecting it to be a lot more but now that I’m here looking at it, it’s not that serious,” the artist and muralist said Monday. “It’s going to be an easy fix.”

He had most of the restoration completed before noon Monday, and then worked on some finishing touches. It was fully complete later that day.

Unveiled in March 2022, the mural was commissioned by Black Voters Matter in honor of the 57th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, when the then 25-year-old activist John Lewis led 600 marchers across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, in protest of voter legislation.

“It’s the power of the vote,” Kevin Lewis said of the mural’s message. “Go out there and be ‘good trouble.’ John Lewis was an icon and very important for that, so that’s why I did it.”

The vacant building is expected to be torn down by the end of the year.

“I know that the building is supposed to be demolished but as long as it’s still standing, the message of the mural needs to be out here for the people,” Lewis said.

Fenika Miller, national field co-director for the Black Voters Matter Fund, commissioned Lewis to restore the mural on behalf of the national organization. Miller is a lifelong resident of Houston County.

“This is the 60th Anniversary of Freedom Summer where folks did the Freedom Rides and came to the South to try to make sure that folks had voting rights and voting access and so it’s extremely symbolic and significant this year,” Miller said.

“And so yes, it was deep sadness about somebody defacing that mural,” she said.

Miller noted that two nearby murals — one honoring military personnel and another that celebrates people from Warner Robins and Houston — were not defaced.

“I think everyone probably remembers the image of the marchers, Congressman Lewis, who wasn’t a Congress person at that time, marching over the bridge in Selma,” Miller said. “Folks remember the images of Freedom Riders coming to the South … And so here we are again in 2024 on the precipice of another historic election,” Miller said.

“I think it’s just always an important reminder, and it’s not about left or right. It’s about up or down and we want folks to always remember to be reaching for the North Star of an inclusive Democracy, a Democracy that is just and using your voting power in order to make those things happen,” she said.

Lewis served Georgia’s 5th congressional district from 1987 until his death July 17, 2020.