Community activist Shawn Deangelo Walton removed a controversial community funded art display from the Westside Beltline Trail off Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Atlanta. Many in the community found the exhibit, which featured photographs of only African-American prisoners, to be offensive. Placed by an organization called Canine CellMates, the images show prison inmates posing with dogs. The director of the program told Atlanta's WSBTV Channel 2 News that while the photos weren't intended to be offensive, without any context they could be misunderstood.

Photo: WSBTV Channel 2 Atlanta

Walton, who contacted WSBTV to fess up for the removal of the banner, said that the images were racially insensitive. “There's no need to display, in my eyes and definitely in most of the community's eyes, more stereotypical images about black men being incarcerated,” he said. Walton brought the banner home and replaced it with artwork that he considered to be more appropriate for the area. “More positive images of black fathers, of black children that are smiling, that are happy,” Walton said. “I mean, isn’t that what the BeltLine is supposed to bring to this community?”

In a written statement, BeltLine leaders apologized:

"We have seen the photos that were installed on the Westside Trail and we are gravely concerned that those images were a part of this year's Art on the Atlanta BeltLine exhibit displayed in the community. Art on the Atlanta BeltLine was created to make art accessible to everyone by bringing the exhibit to public spaces and in doing so, be respectful of the community. The photos that were displayed did not reflect our commitment to do that. The community is understandably and justifiably upset and for that we humbly apologize. We make no excuses and are in the process of investigating the process of how this occurred in order to take the most appropriate action to ensure this does not happen again. This includes seeking new ways to involve communities in the art selection process so that it is inclusive and respectful of their rich and vibrant history".

Check out the full report here.

Shawn Deangelo Walton

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