Editor,
Regarding the SMDJ article on the art exhibit at City Hall, one piece showed a police officer as a skeleton and read “Will Kill Blacks and Mexicans Cheap! Have a fun day.” City Hall dropped the ball on this by allowing it and one other, but then the city canceled the exhibit.
Is freedom of speech the only issue here? It’s not that simple. It’s also about a blatant “inference” of racial hate by the San Mateo police, not based on fact. It crosses the line. What might some people, including children, presume? That the artist knows city police actions better than others? That all police are racists?
This artist uses blanket inflammatory descriptions (shock and awe) to promote his agenda of “police hate.” No PD is sacrosanct from criticism without a good reason, but would the San Mateo Police Department really deserve this? Would it imply that taxpayer funded City Hall supports his message?
There may be a better reason to display this art in Oakland or Antioch, but then not all police are bad apples. Maybe an asterisk below this type of over-the-top sensationalized political art that says “just weed out the potential bad apples” would work better.
Gary Isoardi
San Mateo
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