Mayor Garcetti Calls Controversial Downtown LA Mural Anti-Semitic

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – A controversial mural which has been painted on the side of a community center in downtown Los Angeles which depicts the Grim Reaper draped in a cloak with the Star of David is being called anti-Semitic by city leaders.

The mural on the side of The Vortex, an art center located in the 2300 block of East Olympic Boulevard, appears to show the Grim Reaper holding a dead baby and a missile.

The office of Mayor Eric Garcetti's office called the mural "a shameful act of anti-Semitism," in a statement to the Jewish Journal Tuesday. "Imagery like this should have no place in our city."

The Anti-Defamation League of Los Angeles has also called for the mural to be taken down, saying it "crosses a line."

"For a venue that purports to welcome the community, the Vortex should join us in condemning hateful imagery that invokes anti-Semitic canards conflating Jews with death, snakes, bombs, and killing babies," the organization tweeted.

In response to the controversy, the Vortex issued its own statement on its Facebook page Tuesday in which it said the author did not intend the mural to be anti-Semitic.

"The Vortex stands for free expression," the statement read. "The artist whose mural includes the Star of David (created for the LA vs. WAR show to acknowledge 9/11 about 5-6 years ago) did not intend to express an anti-Semitic message. We believe his intent deserves considerable weight. We invite those who feel otherwise to paint another mural next to it. We are also open to hosting a public discussion about this controversy at The Vortex."

It's unclear who painted the mural or exactly when it went up.