Tacoma library mural showcasing diversity and community targeted with racist imagery

A mural that illustrates the diverse communities and cultures who reside near the South Tacoma branch of the Tacoma Public Library recently was defaced with racist slurs and white-supremacist symbols.

Dionne Bonner, a local artist , created the mural in partnership with the City of Tacoma’s Arts & Cultural Vitality division. With her assistant Brian Neal Sr, she completed the mural in April 2024, according to Tacoma Public Library’s spokesperson Mariesa Bus.

Bus said Bonner met with people from the community, including the Asia Pacific Cultural Center, to make sure that the mural reflected the neighborhood.

“It’s just a really beautiful piece, and it’s definitely helped us have more people know that this is a library and feel welcome to come in and check it,” Bus said.

Bus said on Wednesday morning the library learned that the mural was defaced with racist slurs and apparent white-supremacist graffiti. The library was tagged on the sides facing South 56th Street and South Puget Sound Avenue. A man with a blue ball cap depicted in the mural had a target marked on his face. Another person depicted as reading had their face crossed off.

A nearby traffic box at 56th and Oakes Street that featured art depicting people of color was also targeted.

“We wanted to get the most upsetting, derogatory tags covered up as quickly as possible to minimize the harm,” Bus said.

Bus said they do get graffiti or tags on the building, but there has not been one recently with hateful speech.

A Tacoma Police Department detective has been assigned to investigate the incident as a hate crime, according to a spokesperson.

Bus said they are working with Bonner and the City’s Arts and Cultural Vitality Division to restore the mural. She said they are hoping to get that done quickly.

It will take around $1,000 to restore it, but that number could go up after a full assessment of the damages and resources needed, according to Rebecca Solverson , the division manager.

Bus said that the library would not let the hate speech distract them from its mission and goals towards racial equity.

“I don’t want the people who did this to get attention or get the message that they’ve interrupted our work because we’re going to just keep going, and we’re going to keep providing the resources and care for our community because that’s what we do,” she said.

Bonner wrote in an artist statement the mural is grounded in the library’s vision to be “radically welcoming, and a trusted community hub where all people can find joy, compassion and inspiration.”

“Exciting the senses with vibrant color and movement, characters and elements within the design are inspired by the colors that you see in the foliage, and architecture of the native lands of the Asian and Pacific Islander people, colors that represent vitality, strength, and spirituality, themes that are shared and treasured in all cultures,” she wrote.

“The butterfly elements in the design signifies our imagination and the transcendent power of the mind to take us to wonderful places, learn, grow and transform. The library has always been an important place in my life, and I believe it continues to be a gateway to different ways of learning and exploring the world.”