Asheville police are hoping that the public will help them in nabbing the culprits who are responsible for defacing a mural dedicated to Tina Turner. Static Age Records store employees were shocked to find that someone damaged their artwork honoring the music icon by spray-painting a large red swastika-like symbol over it. It seems as if the person doesn't quite know what a swastika looks like.
"Our record store isn't just a record store," shop employee Arieh Samson told CNN. "It's a community space that hosts events multiple times a week. It's truly a safe and inclusive space for many aspects of the community." Store owner Jesse McSwain echoed Samson's sentiments and added that nothing like this has occurred in the store's 16 years in business.
"This is a widely inclusive, safe space,” McSwain told the Citizen-Times newspaper. “Hate speech will get you out the door.” CNN claims to have spoken with an Asheville Police Department representative who stated that the "incident is under further investigation." Investigators are asking residents with information to call into Crimestoppers.
Meanwhile, Samson shared an image of the defaced mural on Facebook. "Someone painted a swaztika on the Tina Turner mural at Static Age Records. Unreal," he wrote. "This is a hate crime. And this swaztika isn't even right. It has been reported to local authorities and the Southern Poverty Law Center. And Asheville locals are in full force to find the culprit. The dumbass left Vans shoe prints all over the place. NAZIS ARE DUMB." The store has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help pay for a new mural.
