ESCONDIDO - Artwork featuring an anti-police theme will remain on display at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido, after board members voted to keep it in place.
Escondido Mayor Paul McNamara told NBC 7 he and other city leaders are not happy about it.
“I understand you can have controversy and you can have discussions about things, but we need to be civil, and I thought this was incredibly disrespectful,” McNamara said.
The piece entitled "Three Slick Pigs" is from a Los Angeles based artist known as OG Slick and features an image of police officers in riot gear with the letters A.P.A.B. spray-painted over it, an acronym for a derogatory phrase against law enforcement. The piece also features three fiberglass pigs in police uniforms dancing on what appears to be a pile of donuts.
The City of Escondido does contribute to the art center's operating budget and the Mayor says those in leadership roles can be replaced. In a statement, the art center said it would coordinate public discussions between curators, artists, city leaders and community groups to help foster dialog about the issues raised in the artwork.
SEE THE ARTWORK IN TWITTER POST BELOW: