Jackson Free Press

The city received "numerous, relevant telephone calls," related to a painted tribute to late Mayor Chokwe Lumumba before its removal a week ago. But because the complaints were not made through the city's 311 hotline, it is not possible to determine who made the complaints, according to the city's response today to an open-records request the Jackson Free Press filed April 7.

The documents include one City Parks and Recreation Department vandalism report for the park in the 100 block of High Street, sometimes also referred to as Monument Street Park, that lists the approximate date of the incident as Feb. 27, two days after Lumumba's death, and being reported to the police department more than one month later on Wednesday, April 2. The documents also include one accident/loss report filled out by a parks department maintenance employee that states the brick walls at the park were "damaged by graffiti."

The issue came to the fore prior to the Tuesday special election for mayor, when supporters of Chokwe A. Lumumba and his late father began to ask whether there were political motivations behind the painting's removal. Some believed the mural was tantamount to a campaign billboard for Lumumba on city property.

City officials, including all three of the city council members who ran for mayor, dispelled rumors that taking the painting down was a political hit job. Each of the council members who ran for mayor denied having anything to do with the tribute's removal.

Rukia Lumumba, the late mayor's daughter, said afterward that the dismantling of the painting saddened her.

"The mural was painted prior to my brother's decision to run for Mayor and absent my family's request or knowledge. That is why it was especially hurtful and came as a shock to learn that the mural was painted over due to complaints," she wrote in an open letter to Jackson citizens.

But defacement of city property with graffiti of any kind is prohibited by the city's code of ordinances, which officials say forced them to act.

In a statement, interim Mayor Charles Tillman explained: "It came to our attention that one of our city-owned parks had been painted with certain words, slogans, and designs that had not been authorized or permitted by the City. Consistent with our policies and City ordinances, the painting was removed."

Tillman added: "In continuing our quest to honor the memory and legacy of our late Mayor, our actions, in this instance, were in keeping with Mayor Lumumba's high moral and ethical standards that we were fortunate to experience."

Ward 4 Councilman De'Keither Stamps told the JFP last week he does not know who complained about the mural to get it brought down, but that Tillman likely felt the city should remove it as a precaution ahead of what could be an tight and potentially testy special election.

"We shouldn't have been in this place. I don't think this (the mural) was a big enough issue to be contested," but someone could have used it to demand another election, he added.

After the ballots were counted, Lumumba finished in first place among 13 candidates just nine votes ahead of Ward 6 Councilman Tony Yarber to force an April 22 runoff.

Documents the city provided to the JFP also show that the city spent $323.92 on paint and supplies to remove the mural. In addition, the city's 311 call center received six anonymous complaints on April 3 and April 4 protesting the mural's removal, records show.