JASON RANTZ

‘Kill Whites’ tagged on Seattle business’ mural

Oct 16, 2017, 5:41 AM | Updated: Oct 17, 2017, 2:40 pm

Early Sunday morning, a tagger defaced the artwork by local Joey Nix. (Jason Rantz) “I am angered that some vandal would deface a prominent muralist’s artwork in order to make some idiotic statement that I suspect means nothing to anyone,” Uncle Ike’s owner Ian Eisenberg said. (Jason Rantz)

“Kill Whites” was spray-painted on a mural in the parking lot of a Seattle business and the owner is disgusted.

Related: Progressive Seattle activists have a disturbing anti-Semitism problem

“I am angered that some vandal would deface a prominent muralist’s artwork in order to make some idiotic statement that I suspect means nothing to anyone,” Uncle Ike’s owner Ian Eisenberg explained to me.

Early Sunday morning, around 3:30 a.m., a tagger defaced the artwork by local Joey Nix. The mural is painted on the back of the parking lot of Uncle Ike’s marijuana dispensary in Capitol Hill and a police patrol car was in the area shortly before the tagging. The incident was caught on surveillance video but the tagger was well covered, wearing what looks like an all-black outfit, including black pants, a black hoodie, and a black bandanna. While the tagger’s gender is unclear, the business owner believes the tagger might be white.

“It’s such a stupid statement I can’t read anything into it whatsoever,” Eisenberg fumed. “Whatever point the [tagger] was trying to make was lost in translation. There was a blank wall a few feet away.  They should have tagged that and left Joey’s work alone. By wrecking Joey’s mural they lost whatever point they were trying to make. I suspect it was some dumb kid trying to score some points with whatever ridiculous crowd they hang with.”

The damage to the mural is extensive, with the phrase spread out in large block letters. The work took a few weeks to complete and it may be expensive to fix. Nix is expected to review the damage this week. In the meantime, the Seattle Police Department has been called.

Was Eisenberg the intended target or is this a random crime? Eisenberg tells me the marijuana store nearby suffered a broken window, but he’s been the target of hateful rhetoric in the past.

Eisenberg also owns a shop in the Central District, which has been the scene of several protests over concerns of gentrification. Earlier this year, Omari Tahir-Garrett, a CD activist, yelled at Eisenberg, a Jew, to “go back to Germany” in order to “let them Nazis get you again.”

On Facebook, several locals have celebrated the tagging, with one man reiterating the call to “KILL WHITES.”

Obviously, the statement is a hateful threat, but will the investigation be treated as a hate crime or bias incident?

I’ll update the story when the police department responds to my questions.

Jason Rantz on AM 770 KTTH
  • listen to jason rantzTune in to AM 770 KTTH weekdays at 3-7pm toThe Jason Rantz Show.

Jason Rantz Show

Jason Rantz

Burien lawsuit...

Jason Rantz

Exclusive: City of Burien sues King County for breaking contract in homeless camping ban

The City of Burien filed a lawsuit against King County for its refusal to enforce a homeless camping ban that was lawfully adopted.

13 hours ago

Image: The Stevens County Sheriff's Office says it recently received an odd call from a Sasquatch h...

Jason Rantz

Rantz: Sheriff’s office asked legality of hunting Sasquatch in Stevens County

A Sasquatch hunter had an interesting question for the Stevens County sheriff. Is it legal to hunt Sasquatch?

1 day ago

Image: Children bike past Wilson Elementary in Spokane....

Jason Rantz

Rantz: ‘Racist’ Spokane elementary school’s ‘slaves and hobos’ ignites controversy

After a teacher told students they could dress as "slaves and hobos" for an event, the Spokane NAACP cried foul.

2 days ago

Images: At left, Bellevue Police Department Officer Kevin Bereta is seen in his uniform. At right, ...

Julia Dallas

Bellevue officer injured in VP Harris motorcade recalls road to reclaiming benefits

Bellevue Police Officer Kevin Bereta's life changed while he was on VP Kamala Harris' service detail during her visit to Washington.

2 days ago

permanent supportive housing...

Jason Rantz

Rantz: You’re being lied to about permanent supportive housing in Redmond

Redmond residents rightly push back against permanent supportive housing as a solution for the homeless, as Seattle media get in the way.

3 days ago

WA State Attorney General Bob Ferguson campaigning.  (Photo by Karen Ducey/Getty Images)...

Jason Rantz

Rantz: On crime, Bob Ferguson campaign made its first massive blunder

The Bob Ferguson campaign wants you thinking his top priority is crime. His entire political history says otherwise.

4 days ago

‘Kill Whites’ tagged on Seattle business’ mural