Representative Lacy Clay (D-MO-1) wants Representative Duncan Hunter (R-CA-50) to face “theft” charges for removing an anti-cop painting from the walls of the U.S. Capitol complex.
Breitbart News previously reported that the painting was hung in the Capitol complex after Clay chose it as a fitting representation of the August 9, 2014, shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. It depicts police officers as animals with tusks.
On January 6 Hunter removed the painting from the wall, saying, “I’ve seen the press [reporting on this painting] for about a week or so. … I’m in the Marine Corps. If you want it done, just call us.” Hunter then delivered the painting to Clay’s office and said, “Lacy can put it back up, I guess, if he wants to … but I’m allowed to take it down.”
Clay now wants “theft” charges against Hunter.
According to The Washington Post, Clay addressed the removal of the painting on Monday, saying that “his staff met Monday with members of the Capitol Police to press theft charges against Rep. Duncan D. Hunter.” Clay added, “He had no right to take that picture down, it’s thievery.”
Clay plans to rehang the anti-police painting on January 10 and will be accompanied by the Congressional Black Caucus while doing it.
The artist behind the painting is David Pulphus. Clay defended Pulphus’ animal representation of officers in Ferguson, saying:
These are his impressions. Those are his feelings. That’s how he formed his opinion, and he expressed it in his art. So what’s wrong with that? Any black parent would tell you that they have to have this conversation with their children about police and how to act around them, so that’s the conversation we need to be having here. Not about taking some kid’s picture off the wall — it should be about, how do we change these attitudes and improve the relationships between police and the black community?
The schism between Clay and Hunter over attitudes toward police officers is a microcosm of the larger divide that exists between the Democrat Party and the Republican Party. For example, during the 2016 presidential race the National Fraternal Order of Police (NFOP) sent Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton a questionnaire to answer. She did not even bother returning it to them. NFOP president Chuck Canterbury said he was “disappointed and shocked.”
Approximately a month later the NFOP endorsed Donald Trump for president. The Hill quoted Canterbury saying, “[Trump] has seriously looked at the issues facing law enforcement today. He understands and supports our priorities and our members believe he will make America safe again.”
AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of “Bullets with AWR Hawkins,” a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
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