BILLINGS — A Billings man is speaking out against what he believes is a growing problem in the community after his nephew’s social justice mural was vandalized with swastikas and fake bullet holes.
Ben Sherman’s concerns come after the Mayflower Congregational Church was also vandalized over the weekend with swastikas and profane language. Sherman believes that the incidents aren’t connected but also are not isolated acts of vandalism.
Watch Ben Sherman talk about the vandalism at his property:
“I think that with the community and everything that's happening with the church too, it's become a bigger thing than just an incident here at our house,” Sherman said Tuesday.
The colorful mural on Sherman’s property near South Park was created by his then-14-year-old nephew in 2020 to spark conversations about social injustice and cultural diversity.
“I just wanted to do something that sort of made a statement,” Sherman said.
Sherman said that the mural remained untouched for five years before being defaced in the spring with swastikas and fake bullet holes.
“I think it was very upsetting to see it. I mean, hurtful, I think, and also, just scary that people in our community were willing to start to show that kind of hatred out in the public,” Sherman said, adding that he never reported the incident to police.
Tiffany Poore, Sherman's girlfriend, expressed similar disappointment about the vandalism.
“It's sad, and I think it's scary too that there's that amount of hate in our community potentially,” Poore said.
Sherman has decided to leave the damage untouched for now, wanting the community to see what he fears is a growing problem.
“I'm just wanting to make sure that people see that it's not just an isolated incident over there that is potentially happening elsewhere as well,” Sherman said.
Sherman is raising funds to replace the damaged section of the fence and to commission a new mural on GoFundMe.
