San Diego artists strive to preserve murals and heritage

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- Barrio Logan is a neighborhood known for its vibrant murals and deep cultural roots. But, according to muralists, as of recently their murals have been disappearing.

Local artists and community leaders say the sudden removal of the murals is not just about paint across a wall, it’s about history, identity and generations of storytelling that are being erased.

One of the most recent losses is a mural titled "Suenos," painted around 2010 by three artists from Mexicali. It was organized by longtime artist and activist Mario Torero.

“It was destroyed after 15 years,” Torero said. “There’s been kind of a war going on, actually, trying not only to make our art but to protect it, because we always feel like they are coming to try to wipe it out.”

Torero believes the removals reflect a larger pattern of neglect and disregard for Chicano art and culture, especially in a neighborhood that has fought hard to maintain its identity amid gentrification.

Sarah Mondragon, founder and director of the Barrio Artist Partnership, called the situation frustrating and preventable. She said Torero was never contacted before "Suenos" was painted over.

“Mario was responsible for organizing that mural, and we were told by a representative of the owner that he thought Mario was out of the country and unreachable,” she said. “But this is a very close-knit community, and I think if someone was really determined to find Mario, it would have taken maybe one or two calls.”

The issue isn’t isolated to Barrio Logan. In what locals are calling "Barrio Carlsbad," community members have also mobilized to save a mural painted in 1983. They have begun fundraising efforts with artist Victor Ochoa to restore the historic piece before it disappears.

Ochoa, who has painted murals for five decades, said he has seen his work painted over at schools despite leaving his contact information.

“They’ll go ahead and paint the whole mural out,” he said. “They’ve done that to me in several schools. I even leave my phone number.”

Now, he is focused on preserving the Carlsbad mural, drawing from his work restoring murals at Chicano Park.

“Just like what I’ve been doing at Chicano Park, to restore it,” he said.

Despite the setbacks, muralists say they remain committed to their work. Even if the walls are painted over, the cultural legacy behind them isn’t so easily erased.