i didn't like the mural. i did my best to pretend it wasn't there, or to pretend that the dead indian was possibly the only other person who could relate to the loneliness i felt being native in san francisco. does anyone remember what it was like to be the odd one out in school? the one everyone ignored in the hallways? the one whose voice was never heard even when you did talk? that was me. i debated to dip reply to this controversial issue. a person's feelings more, because they are here now. i would like the mural to be removed to a museum where it be in the first place. maybe i should have never been painted in the school in the first place. why didn't they have a conversation i get opinions about putting this mural in high school in the first place? why didn't anyone ask african-americans or native americans if they were offended by the art painted on these walls? no one cared about how we felt. that is a sign of disrespect to us. they could care less about how we feel about dead images and our people?

but chloe who is in favor o eping the mural?hey want to keep the mural? >> a range of people who came out and said -- including some students and other members of the school mmunity, not everyone from the school community wants to see it removed. prominent members of the african-american community includes the president of the naacp here in san francisco and the actor, danny glover, who wants to keep it. they are saying it should not be whitewashed over that this is an ugly truth about this country and it eshould be and it should be a teaching tool. then there are the art ti preserists and art critics talking about its a storic value that it is beautiful and very vibrant work and to destroy it would be a terrible thing, they say, in terms of art history. >> so, it will be covered but not destroyed. let me , k yoariana first, does that satisfy you? it being covered but ot destroyed? >> it does not satisfy our community because we e pret sure in 20 years or some point down-the-line we will come back and have issame fight all over

two very large murals on either side of the entry stairs and two large murals in the upper hall, and six murals in out cloves that open off the main hall. this is the largest one on the right-hand side of the stairs that picks the french and indian war and george washington early life as a surveyor. this is opposite it showing the coming of the american revolution, including riots, the boston tea party, the boston massacre, port working class men raising the flag of the new republic, and washington taking communion of the army. the next two show events of the revolution beginning with the battle of trenton, ending this one, iltv did not show washington crossing the delaware , that famous a very unrealistic painting, and instead showed two enlisting men taking surrender of a mercenary. opposite it is his version of the valley forge. did not show washington praying in the snow, instead he showed washington in his office -- and his officers dressed in spotless winter clothing, talking to enlisted men dressed in rags. on the ceiling above those two murals is a moon, what you said at the

has spoken out in favor of keepg the mural.med, at the time, to sway the nngative feehi7tthat the community felt, at least to a degree. n>>en and -- and now we have the whre recent time e things flared up again as of last year with students, teachers and other community members ming forth and ramirez, on the board of the american indian ltal center but an alum of the public schools. were studts complaining abou this mural when you were in high school? >> yes. and i remember myself being upset by this mural when i saw it at washington high school. just because i did not go to washington, i graduated in 1916 never means i saw it in person. i went there for sports. i have been to thschool and remember thinking why does one of my cestors look like a decoration while here and dead in this mural. to me that does not look like decoration. i have been an active participate in the education program since -- forever. for a very long time. rt of my life. we had students coming to us e sayingn't want this here. we have students here tellin

costly solution projecting outlook onto the mural in relation to the mural itself.ou should go down to the young museum right now, there's a great museum by an artist called emissaries and she orchestrates reinterpreting colonial history and bringing them to video and movement. you should definitely check that out. i think that is a feasible solution to this issue. surely we have the tools here, capital here in san francisco to respond in a forward thinking, and inclusive and creative manner. thank you. >> i am an alumnus from the 1974 time. i want to emphasize, everybody should see. they haven't given enough attention, in my mind. there are three murals, the native american mural, the asian, they are in the next adjacent room and they show the heroic figures from all of these communities historically, as well as modern eras that are very inspiring. i think we should see them. i do think, when they unveiled these murals, keys were made to show, and identify these heroes. i think plaques should be made of these and placed under the murals so that today's young adults

i would not be in favor of whitewashing murals, painting murals, putting them behind curtains so that we only let older people on tours see them and deprive younger people who could benefit from them, from that experience. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> and i would like you to put that in your record. [laughter]. >> i will. i just had another question form is ferguson. i was not able to attend this august 13th school board meeting when this decision was made, and i was just wondering, i'm assuming that they didn't define what cover-up means at that meeting, they did not? >> i didn't attend the meeting either so i can't explain anything on that point. >> and then i was wondering, i think it is unanimous that the commission is definitely in favor of seeing how we could preserve the murals as is, and i was wondering if you could give us some consul -- council about how we as a commission can use our best efforts to make sure that we try whatever we can to make this happen, or at least, in some way, make our concerns very vocal and make it much more public to the general population about

>>> the san jose unified school district is searching for a vandal who defaced a recently painted mural of cesar chavez at an elementary school . >> and ktvu south bay reporter, jesse gary says even anti- graffiti measures were not enough to save the artwork . >> it was meant as a welcome back gift for lowell elementary school in downtown san jose . on the outside of this 20 by 30 foot maintenance shed, a mural of caesar chavez . >> was a wonderful mural, a gift to students, staff and the community . >> in june, a local artist painted the like this as part of a neighborhood improvement project through funds from a seligmanÃkara. all was well until monday, hours before parents arrived for back-to-school night, a vandal had entered school grounds and painted graffiti over the mural . >> we had parents showing up as early as 4 pm. we wanted to make sure that parents felt proud of their school and we had to cover it up. >> district are to assist officials say the policy is to move graffiti within 24 to 48 hours. had painter, ruben bermudez said the painting had anti- graffiti coating applie

have them painted over. >> this mural is not appropriate.ook at the wonderful depiction of washington. look at the african-americans who don't look mistreated. they seem just fine with being kidnapped from their homeland and brought to america. it's very, very hard as a parent. >> there's a lot of life i've been appended down. i have to learn to understand and i work with it. >> look at their faces. this tremendous dignity and respect, and i am dumbfounded that a public school board would vote to destroy art. >> reporter: the murals were painted in 1936 by victor on it off, a devout leftist who at one point was investigated for his ties to communism. his grandson said the artist included native and african- american to provoke a conversation about the real history of the united states. >> so he was actually rocking the boat a little bit, and he would be aboard to hear the reaction that they are getting today. >> reporter: today's controversy is not new. in the mid 60s, the african- american student spoke out against the murals, and the schoo

>> controversial murals at a city h ♪ ♪ ♪ the next american chinese original is here.ichuan hot chicken. for a heart breaking limited time only at panda express. >>> i'm kate larson in san francisco where the school board took a vote that left few happy about a controversial mural that some feel is racist. >>> i'm amanda del castillo in santa clara. people started noticing overgrown weeds and unkempt conditions. >>> i'm meteorologist sandhya patel. i'm tracking a summer scorcher. >> i'm lisa amin gulezian. here in front of this cafe. "abc7 news" starts right now. >>> now news to build a better bay area, from abc 7. >>> good evening, everyone. get ready for a sweltering conditions inland tomorrow. concord reaching 106 degrees. it's going to be 105 in fairfield. livermore, 104. santa rosa 100 degrees. walnut creek, 105. excessive heat warnings for these counties until 10:00 p.m. friday. heat stroke and lease exhaustion possible. heat advisories for areas shaded in orange, including santa cruz county and in effect starting at 11:00 a.m. tomorrow running until 8:00 p.m. th

these works could indeed become a mural. there canvas as we've created individually to deal with the subjects of social media and technology. i think it's great because in a way we're putting together a cache of ideas. their latest mural is an initiative at the university of fribourg with philip tell my is conducting research on intelligence he supplied the basic idea for the work. it's been our experience in the projects we've done so far that art is a virtually ideal means or public forum for or approach to instigating dialogues on such complex topics as artificial intelligence technology and things like that. i agreed to super imposed on the study helps to transpose the proportions to the wall for days of work 6 liters of paint and 10 cans of spray paint went into the freiburg mural it purposely leaves much room for interpretation. we want to mention. we hope to reach people but we don't want to play the part of the educator here we just want to put down a few stumbling blocks and trip people up we want to trip up people'

a mural of cesar chavez. >> it was a wonderful mural, a gift to the students, the staff, and the community. >> reporter: in june, a local artist painted it adds parts of a neighborhood improvement project. all was well until monday hours before back to school night. a vandal painted graffiti over the mural. >> we have parents showing up at 4 p.m. and we wanted to make sure that the parents felt proud of the school and so we had to cover it up. >> the policy is to remove graffiti within 24 to 48 hours. the mural had anti-graffiti coating applied which should have allowed the graffiti to be washed off. >> als have surveillance video of the tagger defacing the mural in nine minutes. and after he was done he took a picture of it with a cell phone. we have an opportunity to help ensure that this does not happen again. working with san jose police to track down the person responsible for the crime and to better protect the 80 plus murals in the district. >> it was a beautiful piece. it depicted a great part of our history. and now it's gone. we hope to be able to replace it and not let the graff

refuse to dewey crumpler was commissioned to create a new mural display, an alternative mural that depictscan-american, latino, and asian americans attacking oppression. it was unavailable to the public today. >> the art has the capacity to heal, but also to complicate. >> reporter: crumpler says feelings were strong five decades ago, just as they were today. he hoped the school board will reverse its decision to erase the murals. >> i feel their pain, but i think the remedy is the wrong one. and the board should be able to understand that they are there for education. not destruction. >> reporter: joe vazquez, kpix 5. >> the school district says in ing sts. much as $600,000 to ea n liafter a dectursa diego. the blaze broke out just before noon in otay mesa. a pallet business was destroyed. up to 70 homes were evacuated as crews battled the intense flames from the ground and in the air. the fire burned nearly 500 acres and is now 50% contained. in contra costa county, a grass fire spread in several homes in the hills of lafayette this afternoon. contra costa fire got it under control in ab

--murales. aseguran que simbolizan mucho mÁs que arte.representaban la historia y cultura, desde las primeras tribus nativas hasta ahora, pero fuer borrado. temen que esto vuelva a ocurrir con sus raÍces. >> no pusieron ningÚn empeÑo profesional. tayana: el despuÉs de dos morales al este de san josÉ. uno es el mural de la raza. >> un libro de esta comunidad. tayana: dos ilustres obras de arte que para personas como manuel fueron la clave para mantenerse conectado a sus raÍces. >> acÁ hay pared limpia que no tienes nada. si hay alguien que saca de la escuela y pasa por eso, la mira y dice guao, son mis raÍces. tayana: el quitarlo es un ataque directo a su pasado y a su futuro.. miembros de la comunidad organizaron una manifestaciÓn. enfrente de la clÍnica dental san josÉ, la razÓn... >> quitaron que se llamaba mural de la raza. misma persona, mismo negocio quitÓ otro mural tayana: nos llamamos y colgaron el telÉfono. al llamarlo respondieron. les enviÉ un correo electrÓnico pidiendo una declaraciÓn, esta es la respuesta de sus abogados. >>

en el norte de philadelphia, "noticiero telemundo" 62. >> quÉ bello mural, muchas gracias.abernos acompaÑado, nos vemos maÑana al mediodÍa, hay mÁs noticias en telemundo, 5 y 6:30, cuÍdense mucho. [tema musical]

the school board meeting was tense. >> leave that mural alone! >> reporter: at times, there were tears. >> here we are fighting, fighting, fighting for what is right for the kids! >> reporter: all over a work of art. >> we need to paint it down. >> reporter: the board president proposed a new plan for the mural. instead of painting it over, he wanted covered up. >> this is an opportunity for all of us to say that we are not going to actually paint over art. we are going to find another way to keep it in public view. >> reporter: the mural in washington high was drawn in 1956, victor arnautoff, who was this garment not to gloss over the life of washington. he chose to depict the cruelty of slavery and the native american slaying to mark the nation's ugly history. >> we don't need a reminder of the genocide we face, the slavery we went to. >> reporter: some native american members of the crowd were upset that the board went back on its decision to paint over the mural. >> remind everyone about broken treaties. >> reporter: an alumni meeting said th

under pressure decided to conceal the mural. over them, which satisfied no one. >> you are trying to wipe out american history. don't do it. >> in one

a vandal had covered the mural with graffiti. ktvu's jesse gary tells us school officials say the artwork couldn't be saved. >> reporter: it was meant as a welcome back gift for lowell elementary school in downtown san jose on the outside of his maintenance shed a mural of cesar chavez. >> it was a wonderful mural. it was a gift to the students, staff and a gift to the community. >> reporter: in june a local artist painted the likeness as part of a neighborhood improvement project through funds from assemblyman ash. all was well until monday hours before parents arrived for back- to-school night. a vandal had entered school grounds and painted graffiti over the mural. >> we had parents showing up as early as 4:00 p.m. we wanted to make sure parents felt proud of their it up. >> reporter: officials say their policy is to remove graffiti within 24 to 48 hours. head painter ruben bermuda says the mural had anti-graffiti coating applied which should have allowed the vandals work to be washed off. but the shed surface made it impossib

he walked past these murals every school day for three years. and glover is dead set against any effort to cover them up. >> james bald win said when we cannot tell ourselves about the truth of the past we become trapped in it and that is this country's history. >> reporter: the school bordu e an mus vote to cover up the murals has led to a loud outcry from artists, politicians and the local chapter of the naacp. this afternoon school board president stefan cook told reporters he's now considering an alternative. >> which wasn't essentially coming back to the initial recommendation from staff which was to cover the murals instead of destroying them with paint. >> reporter: the board president announced over the weekend that he's now considering preserving the art work by hide it behind panels. a proposal danny glover calls absurd. >> to board it up? to hide it from our view? that is basically what you're saying. we don't get enough history in our history books any way. >> reporter: now in addition to the question of whether the mural should be p

hacemos una pausa y un nuevo mural en una de las grandes calles de estados unidos, ya regresamos . >> de mendoza la idea es que la recordé la comunidad la problemática . >>> es el mensaje pintado las paredes . >>> este mural representa el barrio, representa nuestra comunidad latina, representa que no tenemos murallas ni barreras . >>> este fue diseñado por un artista reconocido chileno con la ayuda de otras organizaciones. >>> cuando y a estados unidos para hacer este mural fue la semana en que encontraron el cuerpo sin vida de un padre con su hija entonces para mi empatía, es lo mínimo . >>> para nosotros es usar el arte para un cambio social . >>> la parte principal muestra una mujer caribeña y la segunda pared plasma la secuencia que muchos latinoamericanos que emprenden un camino en búsqueda de una mejor vida en un espacio que busca el apoyo e inclusión entre la comunidad . >>> en san josé somos una comunidad . >>> el mural permanecerá por 30 años para recordarle a la comunidad la problemática migratoria vivida en el país . >>> brian mendoza noticieros telemundo 48 al mediodía . >

the mural does not belong in the school. we need to allow our ancestors to rest and their present youth to move on so they can create and build their own paths. we must allow them to be free of negative images and begin again. with every end there is a beginning. will be heard and respected. all of our voices are equal. please let us empathize and hear our call. thank you. [applause] >> good evening everyone. thank you for coming out. i wanted to say, had a few thoughts. a school is really a place that students don't necessarily choose to go. they have to go in order to access education. we have said many, many times that our schools need to be places where students feel safe and supported. in general, george washington high school is such a place. both of my daughters had positive experiences there. i have really appreciated the letters from students. i saw mr. reading earlier, i think he has left, but i really appreciated that he has assigned every single one of his students as a final exam to write to us, their feelings a

last week the district briefly opened the mural for public viewing. images of george washington alongside slaves working in a field and a dead native american have raised passions. >> it doesn't show the true contribution of african-americans. >> reporter: hearing complaints, the school board commissioned a working group, and their verdict, the majority of the group expressed that the mural does not reflect the school dfd's values and it should go. today local civil rights leaders made clear their opposition to the board's decision. >> that mural must not come down. >> reporter: reverend amos brown says the school board cannot whitewash history. >> we must never forget that fact and that reality. >> reporter: nearly 50 years ago, muralist b alternaturalt george washington high. today he called on the district to use the murals to teach incoming freshmen. >> i want the world never to forget that the toiling that helped to shape this world came from those people. i want that genocide that was practiced on native americans to be clear. >> reporter: now,

road mural. the attorney to respond to a request for an interview or have any comments on the allen rock mural in which the artist received a cash settlement from the this. a new preservation group has been formed which will try to get protections for one dozen more cultural murals that remain in san jose. >> our history is written in text box, seeing these murals is extremely important. >> the groups goal may be difficult to restore the two murals by removing what has been painted on top. >>> we are less than one hour away from the kickoff of the last preseason game for the 49ers. we have team coverage light now. begin, this is sort of a mini milestone. >> reporter: the team is marking its fifth year here in santa clara. we will have more on that in a minute. first i want to get a live look at what is going on behind me. the warm-ups arriving up. pants and field goals are being practiced. they are looking at making the team and this is the last chance. they hosted the first preseason game 2004 t

y aquÍ estaba un mural chicano y compraron el edificio y pintaron sobre Él >>> durante 30 aÑos el muraldo un boicot de la clÍnica, personas estarÁn en el local continuamente para demostrar su descontento >>> quiero que lo regresen para atrÁs porque era lo que nos representa a nosotros. >>> una entrada de la oficina dental pidieron un correo y lo hicimos y no tenemos informaciÓn no estÁ claro el dueÑo de la propiedad cuando se borrÓ este mural. los activistas dicen que alguien quiere borrar la historia de los latinos en san josÉ y no lo van a lograr. en el sur de la bahÍa damiÁn trujillos notiero telemundo 48. >>> a esta hora de la tarde continÚa la busqueda de la mujer, la mujer le dijo que iba a salir a regar las plantas pero nunca regresÓ, el alguacil ha utilizado una unidad marina para rastrear el arroyo que corre detrÁs de la vivienda de ellos >>> en los crÍmenes de san francisco negocios y empresas contratan agentes como guardias de seguridad, y quienes laboran como tiempo extra los negocios mantienen contacto directo cciÓn la policÍa para asegurar que haya respuesta rÁpida en caso

on june 25, the board voted to paint over the murals. i was not present at that meeting because of a long planned a family. i said, at the time, i believe the murals should be covered. i continue to believe, right now, this is the appropriate course of action. i would be supportive or willing to change my mind at some point in the future, that is found to be possible to move the murals to another location. that would be better than having them on display in a school. but, for now, i do think covering permanently the murals is the appropriate course of action, and balances the concerns of the community that we have heard a lot, and the concerns of the students which of their welfare needs to be paramount in our considerations. i want to finally just thank you, president cook for your leadership. i know this has been a really difficult and painful discussion for our community, and the board trying to help us to navigate that. i appreciate your willingness to continue a dialogue, and i support your resolution. . >> president cook: thank you

under pressure decided to conceal the mural. rather than paint over them, which satisfied no one. >> you are trying to wipe out american history. don't do it. >> in one issue, the overlap of art, free speech, racial justice, education.. >> -- >> leave that mural alone. it tells the whole truth about mr. washington being complicit in the slave trade. >> reporter: the depression era murals are a teaching tool showing george washington as slave owner and native americans all pressed. critics say the images are cruel to students of color. a hindrance to learning. >> i am a great, great granddaughter of a slave. i don't need a miracle in my school or office reminding me that i'm a slave. >> why the change of heart on your part? >> washington had a change of heart. >> reporter: the president stands by his past vote to paint it down. but has managed to craft what he calls constructive solution covering it over instead with panels or sheeting. >> we are not going to paint over art. we are going to find way to keep it from public view. w

these works could indeed become a mural. there canvas as we've created individually to deal with the subjects of social media and technology and. i think it's great because in a way we're putting together a cache of ideas. their latest mural is an initiative at the university of fribourg with philip kelley maya it's conducting research on intelligence he supplied the basic idea for the work. it's been our experience in the projects we've done so far that art has a virtually ideal means or public forum for or approach to instigating dialogues on such complex topics as artificial intelligence neuro technology and things like that. agreed to superimposed on the study helps to transpose the such proportions to the wall 4 days of work 6 liters of paint and 10 cans of spray paint went into the fry book miral it purposely lays much room for interpretation. there was mention of. we hope to reach people but we don't want to play the part of the educator here we just want to put down a few stumbling blocks in a trip people up we want

leave that mural alone. it tells the whole truth about mr. washington being complicit in the slave trade. >> part of the issue here is the overlap of art, free speech and racial justicees and. for those that defend it, the depression era murals are a teaching tool and show george washington as a slave owner and native americans oppressed. critics say the images are cruel and students of color and hinters learning. >> i'm a great, great granddaughter of a slave. i don't need a mural to remind me i'm a slave. >> i don't get why people are standing up for this. >> the school staff will hand in a plan to cover up the mural so it meets state and environmental regulations which is not a quick process. nothing is going to happen in this school year which begins on monday. >>> let's get you to where you need to go this morning. allie rasmus is here watching our commute. >> good morning. so far so good. there is really no major problems to tell you about. we will go to the maps and show you the drive up from 101 gilroy, morgan hill, things look good.

the mural is called the life of washington on display at washington high school since 1936. the mural depicts president george washington as a slave owner and chose a native american man like that at the feet of european explorers. the school board voted to have it painted over, but several local african-american leaders think that is the wrong approach. >> we cannot continue to cut out the things that make us uncomfortable, or we will never grow. >> sfu sd officials say it may cost as much as $600,000 to paint over the mural in a legal cost. >>> new video this evening on a fire crew in chicago needing a helping hand fire truck got stuck after the ground beneath it collapsed. the crew was responding to a call and parked to the engine on the second story of the parking garage this morning. then moments later part of the parking deck broke apart, luckily the engines bumper caught onto a section of the deck and they were able to escape, but suffered a minor injury. >>> major block parties of record in many cities across the bay area tonight. >> it's national night out and neigh

the mural at washington high school in san frnaicso -- is >>> it's the local mural that's generate ago lot of national dialogue. the mural at washington high school in san francisco is about to be e raesed, at least we think. it was created in 19350, but in recent years as we've been telling you, a growing number of people say it's a rell lick tha needs to do. today, something rare. a a pebble viewing. christie smith is on campus in san francisco with the latest. where do we stand on in? >> people have been b asking for a long time to have a chance to see the mural inside the hallway and today the districts allowed it for two hours and got quite a crowd including members of the artist's family. while samety sai they agree, most that we spoke with said they wanted to stay. lively discussion inside the hauls of george washington high school. fran seen does not like what she sees. >> i think it is demeaning. it certainly does not show the native people. >> marlene cramer sees a lesson in it. >> a great deal of research. by the wta. >> the district says subjects including images of planes

. >>> the mural stays but the painful history will not be visib visible. the board of education decided not to paint over a mural at george washington high, leaving a lot of people unhappy. jean elle was there. it was an emotional meeting. >> reporter: the people that wanted to point over and preserve the murals packed here. the board members voted 4-3, not to destroy that mural. the future of george high school. inside and outside the san francisco board of unification meeting. >> i can't imagine him walking school, being told, meet me at the dead trying to w american history. >> reporter: the washington muir shows washington's slaves working in a field and a native american killed by the army. they voted to paint over it. but they need a new decision, to cover it with panels. danny glover opposed the plan to hide history. members voted 4-3, to approve the new proposal, leaving people calling the mural offensive betrayed. >> we're happy it will be covered. we don't want children to have to see this preservationists say history won't be destroyed.o say it'

. >>> a plan to replace a controversial mural at a san francisco high school gets pushed back. anne makovec has more on the new call to save it. >> reporter: several african- american leaders in san francisco want the school board to change its mind and they are starting a petition that would allow that mural to stay. >> save it and learn from it and teach from it. >> reporter: the controversial mural is called the life of washington and it's on display at washington high school since 1936 and shows george washington as a slave owner and on one panel, a native american man is lying dead at the feet of white explorers print many students have found it offensive ended in june, the school board voted unanimously to have it painted over but the local african-american leaders think that's the wrong approach. >> we cannot continue to cut out the things that make us uncomfortable or we will never grow. >> reporter: it's a debate they say is at the intersection of art, censorship and history and the reverend amos brown said it's about balance. >> it takes two wings for an airplane to s

murals at a bay area high school, actor dani glover. he graduated from washington high school decades ago and he insists that the murals serve as an important reminder of the country's history of racial oppression. for glover, keeping the murals on display is also a matter of artistic freedom. the actors statement reads in part "i am for freedom of expression and against artistic censorship. i view the murals as a reminder of the horrors of human bondage and the mistreatment of native peoples. to destroy them, or block them from view would be akin to book burning." strike a role reversal of sorts when it comes to housing. oakland is expected to add more units of housing in san francisco this year, even though its population is half the size. the chronicle reports over 6800 new units are expected to open in oakland just this year. this is compared to the 4707 cisco. the report says it is a huge jump for oakland which created 1000 new units annually from 2009 to 2017. experts say the sky high cost of building in san francisco is discourag

in san francisco's george washington high school. >> we need conflict to grow. >> reporter: the muralver in response to complaints that it's demeaning in its depiction of slaves and a dead native american at the feet of settlers. >> sure there are those who say this is no different than taking down civil war statues in the south. >> they are out to lunch. >> reporter: former san francisco mayor willie brown has known the mural since his daughter was a student at washington high. one complaint about it from african americans is that it shows slaves simply being subservient, simply sitting there under the white man's rule. >> but that's the way america was. but it was clearly put on display so we would all be for sure instructionateely disgusted with america and its late practices. >> reporter: russian born painter victor argonoff painted it in the 1930s. peter is his grandson. was your grandfather subversive in a way in what he put into these paintings? >> yes, he was. he was. he was trying to go against the grain of the common narrative of history that was being probably portrayed in

among those fighting to keep the mural, actor danny glover. taking on new role as historian and preservationist. outside the board of education headquarters where a meeting is underway. a lot of contention over this mural. >> reporter: yesterday i had -- a lot of contention. we were in the audio booth. you can see it's underway right now. it is expected to be a contend shus meeting. it began about two minutes ago. the people who want the murals covered over have been getting considerable pushback over the last week. actor danny glover who attended george washington in the '60s, one of those advocating strongly for the murals to be left alone and on public display. at a news conference this afternoon, actor danny glover did not pull his pumpbls. >> they're talking about boarding it up. i think it is absurd. >> reporter: he told reporters, if the artwork at george washington high school makes some students uncomfortable, that's a good thing. depigoting george washington as a general and a statesman and also as slave owner and a soldier who fough

the san francisco school board was to cover up the mural because students say that it's images of slavesnd indigenous people are painful to walk past every day. painted on the walls of george washington high school, the panels depict captive africans twirling at mount vernon -- toiling at mount vernon. he created the inflammatory piece as part of a new deal work project in 1935. >> this was a very conservative time. even though it made washington look like a bad guy, and he was able to do. >> reporter: today in response to the district, at the danny glover joined a group of african-american leaders to reconsider covering up the murals. he attended washington high, he said when he made the movie the color purple some people objected to that. >> the fact is, it has to make people feel uncomfortable. the great artist are the ones that made us feel uncomfortable. >> reporter: the president of the san francisco chapter of the naacp believes that the district is misguided to try to censor the images of slavery and genocide. he says covering them up will only deny the lessons of the past. >> pe