When Maria Lisanti, owner of La Bella Pizza Bistro, decided to paint a flag mural on the outside wall of her shop, she didn’t expect to be terrorized.
Lisanti, who owns the pizza parlor in New Paltz, New York—a tiny town of 7,000—was following a small-town, small business tradition when she hired an artist to paint a mural of the American flag on the outer wall of her shop.
Lisanti’s shop had one large, plain brick wall, which faced the local middle school and was often a target for graffiti artists. She decided to paint something positive in response.
Lisanti started a GoFundMe page, and donations poured in. Her fellow townsfolk were very much in favor of her idea, expressed on her GoFundMe page, that “No singular ideology or worldview can lay claim to what our flag means and represents. We may quarrel over how we express patriotism, but we all feel strongly about these powerful words: ‘with liberty and justice for all.’
“We want this mural to recognize and inspire pride in our country’s important goals, and to encourage us to keep working toward these American ideals.”
An artist was chosen and the mural completed—an American flag rippling in the breeze, tattered with hard use but still flying—a fitting symbol for this nation, Lisanti and her fellow funders believed.
As she was coming home from voting on Nov. 6, Lisanti saw a graphic representation of how differently some people felt.
The flag mural was defaced with two large splotches of red paint.
“I saw that it was defaced slightly, but it was still wet,” she told Hudson Valley One. “It wasn’t horrible.”
Luckily, the vandal had used latex paint, and the paint was still wet, Lisanti got a bucket of water and a sponge and began cleaning the mural. Several passers-by stopped to help.
Before long, the mural was back in its untarnished state, colorfully proclaiming pride in American ideals.
Vandalism Followed Protest
Maria Lisanti’s flag mural attracted opposition even before it was vandalized.
In response to her GoFundMe page, some members on the New Paltz Facebook group objected that the flag symbolized the United States military’s actions overseas—not all of which were popular with some residents.
The artist who painted the mural released a statement explaining that was not at all the message.
The artist wrote that the mural “reminds us of the timelessness and inclusivity of our national flag, which has remained through centuries of sometimes turbulent history and different political climates, and is a symbol that is owned by all Americans.”
Dan Torres, who sits on the New Paltz Town Board, added that the flag is used swearing in new in citizens, a wholly civilian ceremony.
One resident, Joey Garcia, was upset by the objections to the mural so he organized a “Flag Appreciation Walk” on Oct. 21.
“To me, the flag represents many things: freedom, compassion, strength, and pride to name a few. In my opinion, we live in the greatest country on earth,” Garcia told Fox News.
“But lately our Flag seems like it’s under attack. People today speak out against our flag and country so much and want to only point out what they feel is wrong with it.
“I understand and respect their right to their opinions, but I feel like those of us who do not feel that way have a voice too and deserve to be heard.”
Garcia emphasized that the event was in no way political—in fact, political buttons and clothing was banned.
“I asked anybody who can find any good with our flag and our country, even if we don’t agree on everything, to come together in a peaceful and positive way to express that,” Garcia told Fox.
“Everyone was welcome at this—Democrat, Republican, liberal—everyone.”
The walk, Garcia told Fox News, attracted 400-500 supporters.
It also attracted a few dozen protesters, Hudson Valley One reported. Video from the event shows black-clad demonstrators carrying a banner showing the “Antifa” logo. Many were wearing bandanas covering their faces.
According to Hudson Valley One, the two groups stayed on opposite sides of the street, shouting at one another, until a convoy of flag-draped military vehicles filled the street, creating a moving barrier and drowning out the shouting.
Lisanti told Hudson Valley One that to her, the flag was not a symbol of the nation’s current political state, but a reminder of the sacrifices Americans have made to uphold the nation’s founding ideals of liberty and justice.
In response to the vandalism, the mural will get a coat of protective Paint.
Lisanti says that people are still sending donations to the GoFundMe page. She plans to use the money to provide lighting and to create a fund for maintenance of the mural.
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