Bellflower mural could soon be taken down, but celebrities join fight to keep it up

BELLFLOWER, Calif. (KABC) -- A mural in Bellflower that honors the culture of Los Angeles could soon be taken down, but some celebrities are joining the fight to keep the art from disappearing.

The mural features the faces of notable figures and celebrities, including Kobe Bryant, Snoop Dogg, Tupac Shakur and Vin Scully.

The mural's artist, who goes by the name sloe_motions on Instagram, says he received a notice from the city to take down the art, which is located on the side of Speedy Auto Tint on Woodruff Avenue.

The artist has done murals across the city and he's now trying to raise awareness about this one so he can keep it up. An online petition has gained over 3,000 signatures as of Thursday evening to keep it up.

"At Speedy Auto Tint we are proud of our mural because we are a Latino/ family-owned small business, and we believe this mural represents the city of Los Angeles and the culture it embodies," a summary of the petition reads.

The petition claims that the city of Bellflower wants the mural taken down because it's facing a main street instead of on a wall facing a side street. They say they're in the process to appeal the code enforcement, but need the community's help.

The artist had the following message for the city:

"I'm trying to put out beauty here for the city of Bellflower and I'm trying to put out great work," said Louie Palsino. "Bellflower, they don't have many things like this so I'm just trying to bless them with something really awesome, for the city, for people to come and appreciate."

Some of the celebrities depicted on the mural are now speaking out in its favor on social media.

Oscar De La Hoya commented on the artist's Instagram post: "Thank you brother for the love. I'll make some calls."

Danny Trejo shared an image of the mural and said: "Go check it out before the city removes it!"

In a statement to Eyewitness News, Bellflower Mayor Sonny R. Santa Ines said the city does not object to the mural's contents.

"However, it does not comply with the established mural standards in the Municipal Code, and we have received complaints about that fact. Our staff is engaged with the owner of the business and we are actively seeking an appropriate solution."