Social justice mural in Salt Lake City vandalized overnight
May 9, 2021, 1:08 PM | Updated: Dec 30, 2022, 11:21 am
SALT LAKE CITY — It’s been restored already, but sometime in the overnight hours between Friday and Saturday, somebody painted over the face of Chad Breinholt located in a series of what are called social justice murals on 800 South and 300 West in Salt Lake City.
Breinholt was killed by police in August 2019, while he was being processed by West Valley City Police.
The social justice murals are painted by anonymous volunteer artists, and they have been targeted before; once in June 2020 when the George Floyd mural was defaced with black paint, and again in November 2020 when Christmas decorations placed at the mural for Harold Robinson were stolen.
Breinholt’s mother told KSL TV that the murals are important to the families of those represented in the paintings.
“Those murals have just become a place for these families to go to,” Susan Neese, Chad Breinholt’s mother, told KSL TV reporter Garna Mejia.
“To just remember these faces are human and they have stories,” said Neese.
The Neese/Breinholt family is still waiting for a report from the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s office, detailing an investigation into the officer-involved shooting.
When asked by KSL TV, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s office said their work in the investigation continues.
“Investigations don’t have a time limit, as they require thorough review in finding the truth, but findings will be shared with family and the community as soon as they are available,” DA officials said.
