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Tattoo shop owners seek new home after landlord's swastika mural 'ruined our business'

From JSOnline:

Claire Reid

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Owners of a Milwaukee tattoo shop say they are "looking around feverishly" and raising money for a new home for their business after the owner of its former building commissioned a pro-Palestinian mural, which features a swastika, on the outside wall.

Aaron Rodgers and Matt Stolzenburg ― the owners of Black Dawn Tattoo, formerly located at 424 E. Locust St. ― said that Ihsan Atta, the Palestinian-American landlord who owns the building at North Holton and East Locust streets, didn't inform them that the controversial mural would be going up.

The mural suggests that Jewish people are carrying out a new Holocaust and intertwines a Star of David and a swastika. It carries the words, "The irony of becoming what you once hated," in all capital letters. The mural has drawn criticism, especially from Milwaukee's Jewish community. Leaders of Jewish organizations have condemned it as antisemitic, ill-informed and threatening.

Atta said he put up the mural because he wanted to raise awareness about Israel's devastation in Gaza, which he considers to be genocidal and akin to the Holocaust. When he spoke to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last week, he defended the image, arguing the swastika is "equivalent" to the Star of David because, he said, the star is used not only as a religious symbol, but a political symbol.

That comment also drew criticism from people who consider the intertwining of the Star of David and the swastika vile, espcially considering Jewish people were forced to wear identifiers such as armbands, or badges, in the shape of the Star of David under the Nazi regime.

Rodgers and Stolzenburg said the mural — and the vandalism and outrage it has attracted — have created an unsafe place to continue running their business. Rodgers said many of his employees quit because they were uncomfortable, and one employee said she was harassed on the first day the mural was up.

Black Dawn Tattoo has temporarily closed, and Rodgers and Stolzenburg have moved their business out of the building. Rodgers said employees plan to return if they can find a new location. So far, the owners haven't identified a place.

Last Friday, a woman used black paint to vandalize the mural, which was quickly restored. Then, late one recent night, Rodgers received a text alert from his security system that there was a "banging motion detected" at the tattoo shop. He said he rushed there to find two men hitting the mural with sledgehammers.

"What happens when someone wants to light it on fire?" Rodgers said.

Atta said he doesn't care that Black Dawn Tattoo moved out over the mural.

"There are people losing their lives in Palestine and in Gaza," he said. "So, if all I'm losing is tenants and money, I have no problem whatsoever. I'm willing to have an empty building, but I'm going to continue to express my freedom of speech and expression."

He said the artist who made the mural will reproduce it, but it will most likely be placed in a less accessible area. Atta plans to put up a new and different pro-Palestinian mural at the site of the controversy.

Black Dawn Tattoo set up a GoFundMe to raise money to help move the business to a new building. The GoFundMe page also says funds could go to "potential legal representation, and paying multiple lease agreements at the same time."

The fundraiser, which has a $12,000 goal, has raised nearly $4,400 as of Thursday afternoon. The Milwaukee Tattoo Festival pledged on social media to donate half of all festival ticket revenue through the end of September to help Black Dawn Tattoo with the unexpected expenses.

Black Dawn Tattoo says moving is not a 'political move'

Stolzenburg said some supporters of the mural have misunderstood the GoFundMe drive as a "political move." He said he and Rodgers simply want a safer space for their employees, clients and equipment.

"I don't know how people are angry at us about it, but ... those ones are the loudest ones, and it just sucks and it hurts," Stolzenburg said.

Rodgers said Black Dawn Tattoo has no ill will toward Atta, and that the mural is "well within his legal rights to do."

"But he still ruined our business by doing it," Rodgers said.

"I'm African-American, I don't want a swastika on the side of my building," he added. "I hate that a swastika (is on the building), especially in this climate where people are being threatened daily by white supremacist groups."

The pro-Palestinian mural replaced one of Breonna Taylor that was well-known to area residents. Taylor, a Black woman, was shot and killed in her home in 2020 by Louisville police during a botched raid. The police killings of Taylor and George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked nationwide protests about police violence.

Journal Sentinel reporter Sophie Carson contributed to this report.

From: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/2024/09/20/milwaukee-tattoo-shop-moves-out-over-mural-put-up-by-building-owner/75290835007/?tbref=hp

Neighbors share concern with Milwaukee mural depicting swastika in response to war in Gaza

Majority of Milwaukee's Common Council condemn mural equating swastika and Star of David

From JSOnline:

Vanessa Swales

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A majority of Milwaukee's Common Council on Saturday condemned a new mural in the city's Harambee neighborhood that equated a swastika with the Star of David, calling its messaging "hurtful and divisive."

The mural is on private property at the corner of East Locust and North Holton streets and depicts a swastika superimposed on the image of the Star of David.

Inscribed around the image are the words: "The irony of becoming what you once hated," in all capital letters, suggesting that Jewish people were causing a new Holocaust in the Israel-Hamas war.

A woman vandalized the mural with black paint on Friday, but by the afternoon, most of the paint had been wiped away.

Milwaukee council members called for the building owner to remove the image.

"While calling on all to respect private property and First Amendment rights, it is also important to call out those who import symbols of division, hatred and violence to our community, and then act surprised when they are not welcomed with open arms," according to the statement issued Saturday.

"To see (the image of the swastika) displayed on the streets of our city is sad, distressing, and disheartening," the statement added.

Ald. Milele Coggs, who represents the area where the mural is located, was one of the 14 council members who signed the statement.

District 5 Alderman Lamont Westmoreland was the only council member who did not co-sign the statement. In an email to the Journal Sentinel, Westmoreland said he had not been given the opportunity to have input on the statement issued and said that he will be issuing his own statement at some point "that is from me and not the thoughts/opinions of others with just my name attached to it."

Ihsan Atta, who owns the building hosting the mural, has defended the image in previous interviews with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The mural replaced a well-known painting of Breonna Taylor, who was killed by Louisville police.

Atta, who is a Palestinian-American, told the Journal Sentinel he wanted to raise awareness about Israel's devastation in Gaza, which he considers to be genocidal and akin to the Holocaust. He said he filed a police report after Friday's vandalism.

A woman named Sara Ninham was interviewed by WITI-TV (Channel 6) on Friday and said she had vandalized the mural because she did not like seeing the image of a swastika.

The Jewish Community Relations Council of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation released a statement Friday stating that the mural was the latest in a "staggering uptick in antisemitic rhetoric and misinformation."

From: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2024/09/14/milwaukee-council-members-decry-mural-equating-swastika-star-of-david/75227617007/

Controversial mural vandalized in Milwaukee near Holton and Locust

New mural equating swastika, Star of David defaced with black paint, then quickly restored

From JSOnline:

Sophie Carson

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A woman on Friday smeared black paint over a new mural on a prominent street corner that blended the Star of David with a swastika.

Bearing the words, "The irony of becoming what you once hated," in all capital letters, the mural suggested Jewish people were carrying out a new Holocaust in the Israel-Hamas war. On Thursday Milwaukee Jewish leaders called it "horribly antisemitic" and said it held all Jews responsible for the actions of the Israeli government. They also said it was particularly hurtful and dehumanizing to make any connection to the Holocaust, a systematic, state-sponsored execution of 6 million Jews.

WITI-TV (Channel 6) interviewed a woman named Sara Ninham midday Friday who said she vandalized the mural because she didn't like seeing a swastika. She did not mention the Israel-Hamas war or express any religious or political stances in the interview.

"The hate. Who puts a swastika (up)?" Ninham told the reporter. "To me, this is just promoting more violence. I get trying to raise awareness, but we've got kids that play over here. In such a short time, this was the fastest that I could try to get rid of it."

On her Facebook page, the woman posted a video holding up her hand covered in black paint.

"No the (expletive) they didn't just put a swastika on the corner of my block. I (expletive) handled it," she said in the video.

Ihsan Atta, who owns the building at East Locust and North Holton streets where the mural is displayed, said he expected vandalism. He is Palestinian-American and wanted to raise awareness about Israel's devastation in Gaza, which he considers to be geocidal and akin to the Holocaust.

He defended the image to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Thursday, arguing the swastika is "equivalent" to the Star of David because, he said, the star is used not only as a religious symbol, but a political symbol.

After some news coverage Thursday, Atta thought that would be all. He took satisfaction in getting more news coverage Friday because the mural was defaced.

"The whole point is to have exposure, to bring awareness, and she helped with that, so I appreciate her for that," he said.

Atta said security footage shows Ninham squirting black paint over the mural then smearing it around with her hands. He has filed a police report against her alleging vandalism and property destruction.

The artists who made the mural will work on cleaning and repairing the mural in the coming days, he said. But by late afternoon Friday, the black paint already appeared to be mostly wiped off the mural.

The pro-Palestinian mural replaced a well-known mural of Breonna Taylor, who was killed by Louisville police.

Prior to the defacing of the mural, the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation released a statement Friday saying the mural was the latest in a "staggering uptick in antisemitic rhetoric and misinformation."

The council said a recent public discussion hosted by the federation on "Civility in our Times" was targeted. Non-Jewish panel members, the council said, were sent emails with misinformation and antisemitic tropes. And participants found fliers on their cars claiming the federation and council were Islamaphobic and considered students who participated in spring protests "terrorists."

In Friday's statement, the council said neither it, nor the Jewish Federation, makes Islamaphobic comments.

Sophie Carson is a general assignment reporter who reports on religion and faith, immigrants and refugees and more. Contact her at scarson@gannett.com or 920-323-5758.

From: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/2024/09/13/milwaukee-mural-with-swastika-star-of-david-vandalized-with-paint/75211474007/

Pro-Palestinian mural blending Star of David, swastika draws outrage of Milwaukee Jewish leaders

From JSOnline:

Sophie Carson

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A new mural on a prominent street corner suggests Jewish people are carrying out a new Holocaust and intertwines a Star of David and a swastika.

The mural carries the words, "The irony of becoming what you once hated," in all capital letters.

Milwaukee Jewish community leaders Thursday decried it as "vile" and "horribly antisemitic."

"This mural is not intended to actually change anything on the ground (in Israel and Gaza). It has no capacity to do that. It's only meant to be hurtful to our Holocaust survivors who see it," said Miryam Rosenzweig, president of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation.

The mural is posted on a building at the corner of North Holton and East Locust streets owned by Ihsan Atta, a Palestinian-American landlord who is the registered agent for the property management company Fala7 Investments LLC.

The mural replaced one on Breonna Taylor that was well-known to those in the area. Taylor, a Black woman, was shot and killed in her home in 2020 by Louisville police during a botched raid. The police killings of Taylor and George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked nationwide protests about police violence. Another prominent mural of Floyd on a building also owned by Atta remains at the corner of East North Avenue and North Holton Street.

Atta told WTMJ-TV in June that he was planning to replace the Taylor mural with a pro-Palestinian one to call attention to the Israel-Hamas war. He told the Journal Sentinel Thursday that he kept the Taylor mural after removing it and plans to either give it to Taylor's family or hang it somewhere else in the Riverwest neighborhood.

Rosenzweig said the mural aims to "scare the Jewish community, to threaten them, and to harass and intimidate." It also denies the atrocities of the Holocaust by equating it to the Israel-Hamas war, she said.

"It's very much trying to blame all Jews," Rosenzweig said, adding that a key antisemitic trope is blaming all Jewish people for the actions of the Israeli government.

The new mural includes images of drones, bombed-out buildings, women wearing head coverings carrying children, an apparent mass grave and an empty swing set.

Rosenzweig said the mural aims to "scare the Jewish community, to threaten them, and to harass and intimidate." It also denies the atrocities of the Holocaust by equating it to the Israel-Hamas war, she said.

"It's very much trying to blame all Jews," Rosenzweig said, adding that a key antisemitic trope is blaming all Jewish people for the actions of the Israeli government.

The phrase on the mural is found in some pro-Palestinian art and online memes. Atta said he created the idea for the mural in collaboration with some local tattoo artists, and he argued it was not antisemitic to compare the Holocaust and Israel's devastation in Gaza. The Holocaust was the systematic, state-sponsored murder of 6 million Jews.

"The fact that (Rosenzweig) says that it relates the Holocaust to what's going in Gaza is exactly the point. It is what's going on. It is a holocaust that's going on," Atta said. "For her to say that it's comparable, she's absolutely right."

Atta has previously compared Israel to Nazi Germany. Two days ago he reposted a meme on Instagram that attempted to draw similarities between Adolf Hitler and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

He argued that it was OK to combine the Star of David and swastika symbols because, he said, the star is used not only as a religious symbol, but a political symbol. It is found on the Israeli Air Force insignia.

"The swastika, to me, is equivalent to the Star of David," Atta said.

Atta also disagreed with the concept that Jewish residents could feel threatened by the mural. He said he thought Jewish people "should be able to relate" to how painful a genocide is for a population.

"I think the only people that are being threatened are the Palestinians," he said, whose perspective he argued was being stifled on the global stage.

Atta is the brother of two prominent local Muslim leaders: Othman Atta, executive director of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee — the state's largest mosque, and Janan Najeeb, president of the Milwaukee Muslim Women's Coalition.

Since the mural is on a privately owned building, the Milwaukee Jewish Federation is not planning to take any steps to try to have it removed, Rosenzweig said.

"For those who see this imagery, I would ask you to stand up against this level of hate — to see it for what it is — as you would stand up for hate against anyone," she said.

Sophie Carson is a general assignment reporter who reports on religion and faith, immigrants and refugees and more. Contact her at scarson@gannett.com or 920-323-5758.

From: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/2024/09/12/pro-palestinian-mural-of-swastika-star-of-david-set-up-in-milwaukee/75195668007/

Arajs Kommando: The WW2 Extermination Group That Massacred Thousands | Nazi Collaborators

I have no reason to post this other than the fact that my parents were Latvian immigrants to the U.S.A. in the late 1940's and they both lived in Riga, Latvia during the time of the atrocities documented in this video.  They never spoke to me about this.  My father used to discuss these times with a fellow Latvian drinking buddy of his.  They spoke in Latvian and I heard the name Ulmanis mentioned many times.  It appeared that my father's friend liked Ulmanis and my father did not.

Btw, I wasn't fluent in Latvian because my father felt heavily discriminated against because of his immigrant status and therefore he didn't want me or my sister speaking the language.  I know a few words in Latvian, but I'm not like other Latvian children in the U.S.A. who have a full command of the language.  I've always regretted this.