Artist repairs mural of Giannis Antetokounmpo in downtown Milwaukee after vandalism
By Jenna Wells
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MILWAUKEE (WDJT) — One of Milwaukee’s favorite murals received an unexpected touch-up Wednesday after a disappointing find.
Staff at nearby buildings downtown found graffiti scrawled at the bottom of the massive mural of Giannis Antetokounmpo, located near Wisconsin and Jackson in downtown Milwaukee.
After a call to the mural’s original artist, the graffiti disappeared almost as quickly as it showed up.
Mauricio Ramirez said this was the first time someone vandalized the three-story mural of the beloved Bucks star, which he was commissioned to paint on the wall of Milwaukee’s 600 EAST building in 2022.
The black and white graffiti found Wednesday morning included large unreadable tags, along with, “I will miss you” written in white, and “miss you” written again in black.
By 2 p.m. Wednesday, Ramirez was posted up at the wall with paint cans in hand, covering it up.
“I just felt like it was just a little bit immature to do something like that, obviously, especially for something that people hold really dearly to their hearts,” he said.
Thankfully, it wasn’t difficult for him to fix.
Ramirez said he doesn’t clear-coat his murals, so he is able to paint over them with ease when repairs are needed.
He felt that the graffiti did not represent the love, passion, and respect that true Milwaukeeans have for both Giannis and the city, regardless of his recent trade to the Miami Heat.
“Obviously, that trade sparked a lot of emotions,” Ramirez said. “I just hope that by me coming in and repairing the mural, it shows hope and shows the attitude of how we like to take care of our community.”
It only took him a couple hours to restore the mural back to its striking, bright green color.
A nearby security officer told CBS 58 there is surveillance footage of the people who tagged the graffiti overnight, and the building’s owner plans to share that with police.
We reached out to MPD for more details but haven’t received a response.
While Giannis might be going to Miami, the mural won’t be going anywhere.
Dan Nelson, the owner of 600 EAST, told CBS 58, “As long as I own this building, Giannis will stay on this wall.”
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