MILWAUKEE — A father and son from Milwaukee both face felony charges for vandalizing a controversial mural that intertwines a swastika and the Star of David.
73-year-old Peter Mehler and his 41-year-old son Zechariah Mehler both face a single charge of felony criminal damage to property reduced in value by more than $2500. The charges come from the vandalism of a pro-Palestinian mural on September 14, 2024. The mural depicted an intertwined Star of David and swastika with the words “the irony of becoming what you hated” in all capital letters.
Hours after the building’s owner Ihsan Atta posted the mural on his building on the corner of Holton and Locust in Milwaukee’s Harambee neighborhood, it was sprayed with black paint.
Building owner Ihsan Atta said that he wanted to replace a mural honoring Breonna Taylor, the black woman killed in 2020 during a botched police raid, with one that calls attention to the Israel-Hamas war.
Milwaukee Jewish community leaders called the mural “horribly anti-Semitic”.
According to the criminal complaint, both Mehlers were seen on security cameras raising “double middle fingers” in response to the mural before Zechariah was seen swinging an ax and striking the mural. Both men then take turns prying the mural off the building wall, finishing taking the panels off in the early morning hours of September 15.
The building’s owner said the mural was completely destroyed, which was valued at over $6,000.
Neither Mehler is in custody at this time, and both are ordered by the court for an initial appearance on November 20.