The iconic Petworth mural on the 800 block of Upshur Street NW was defaced at the beginning of February (tags whited out).

Sometime at the beginning of February, maybe yesterday, some enterprising person or group decided their crudely done spray paint smatterings were better than the Petworth Mural located on the 800 block of Upshur Street NW. The mural was defaced across the center, ruining the artwork.

This mural, first conceived of by Tom Pipkin and Rob Mandle and painted by Juan Pineda in 2015, has become an iconic piece of art for the Petworth neighborhood. You see photos of this mural on neighbors’ Facebook profiles, on Twitter accounts, posing with friends and family, and showing their pride at where they live. You’ll see it in articles about our neighborhood in the New York Times, in the Washington Post, on NPR and others.

It’s only a mural.

Yet it’s loved by so many in our community.

So Petworth News is organizing a GoFundMe to raise money to repair and repaint the mural.

We’ve reached out to Juan Pineda to have him come back and work on the project, along with Tom Pipkin from Pipkin Creative. We’re also reached out to Marc Dosik who owns the building at 843 Upshur St NW for his approval and support.

We could use your help, too.

If you can, please contribute to the GoFundMe to repaint the mural. We’re hoping to raise $4,000 to cover costs (and GoFundMe fees).