Police were called to Forest Lane on Sunday, May 29, after a dispute about the mural broke out. (Photo from Brent Herling)
A lot of people love the mural on Forest Lane, with its psychedelic patterns reminiscent of its original creators, the 1976 graduating class of W.T. White High School, who were clearly capturing the essence of the time. But at least one neighbor whose property abuts the mural is not a fan, which led to police intervention last weekend.
Kid volunteers help restore the Forest Lane mural in 2014.
Danny Scott has been a vocal opponent of the wall since efforts were first made to restore the wall back in 2014. (Multiple attempts to reach Mr. Scott have not been successful, but I am very eager to speak to him; if he’s reading this, give me a call 214.560.4200). The wall sits on the edge of his land, but he lost the battle to keep the “eyesore” off his property two years ago, when neighbors overwhelmingly supported the mural’s restoration.
Cut forward to last summer, when a pick-up truck barreled into the wall, taking down a significant section of the mural. Brent Herling, the man who launched the original restoration effort, and a W.T. White grad himself, quickly announced he would repaint the mural as soon as the wall was fixed.
After months went by and the gapping hole remained, Herling and some other volunteers decided they would construct a new wooden fence on Sunday “…to temporally fix the Forest Lane mural wall and protect everyone from the rebar daggers that have been exposed for 10-plus months,” Herling says.
They seemingly did it without the permission of Scott, the homeowner, who took to Nextdoor.com to express his displeasure in a positing entitled “MY wall on Forest Lane” [sic]:
“I have been informed that people are trespassing on my land, and attempting to do construction on my land. This has been SETTLED by the city: it is my wall and my responsibility to fix. I am dispatching the police to arrest anyone who attempts to vandalize my land. I have not asked, not to I want or need any assistance with repairing it. Anything that is done WILL BE DEMOLISHED upon my return from vacation. Anyone involved is a criminal. No one has a right to touch my section of the wall. This is RIDICULOUS and has to stop.”
The section of fence Brent Herling and volunteers built to restore the mural on Forest Lane, without the property owners permission. (Photo from Brent Herling)
Herling confirms that police did arrive on scene, but allowed him to keep painting after he proved that the wall was owned by the county, something the homeowner has contested, although Herling points to this 1967 document that mentions giving the wall to the county. The whole dispute seems to have spotlighted a legal grey area.
In 2014, City Councilwoman Jennifer Staubach Gates told the Dallas Morning News, that while the property owners must maintain the wall, her office had to “clarify” whether they had the right to block the mural. We’re still waiting on that clarification. She concluded with: “After speaking with neighborhood leadership, it is my understanding that it is the will of the neighborhood to maintain a painted mural. It is my hope that neighbors can treat each other respectfully even if their opinions differ and we can all come to a mutually agreeable outcome.”
That, apparently, is no longer possible. Herling says that one of the “thugs” Scott sent to intimidate him from continuing the mural got physical on Sunday. “This guy went so far as to drive his forearm into my chest when I tried to pass and then holler ‘assault,’” Herling says. Dallas Police did not immediately respond to my inquiry for a description of what happened. Herling says they told all parties involved it was a city matter, and left.
Herling says he’s committed to keeping the mural alive on Forest Lane, and has even launched a second public art project on Marsh. He seems to have the support of the neighborhood behind him, saying he spoke to every resident on the block and all but one approved of his efforts.
We’ll keep you posted when we figure out the legal side of all this.
