Just two days before Super Bowl LIII, a prominent mural of Colin Kaepernick was torn down in Atlanta. The mural, which was located on a building that stood across the street from Morehouse College, featured Kaepernick in an Atlanta Falcons uniform according to the Rolling Out
But on the afternoon of Friday, Feb. 1, 2019, the entire building was destroyed.
Created by artist Fabian Williams in 2017, the mural became somewhat of a landmark in Atlanta. People from across the nation would visit the mural to take photos in front of it.
The story of how he discovered the building is interesting as well, according to The Root
Williams, who sometimes paints under the name, “Occasional Superstar,” has painted murals and projects all over the city. He was driving through Atlanta one day when he was struck by the space, which is right across the street from the Morehouse College basketball arena and about a mile from Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The wall had been used as a space to promote advertisements for albums, parties and movies. Williams never sought permission to paint on the wall and met the building’s owner once.
“He said he liked it,” Williams said. “But said that the city was complaining to him about it.”
Also of note, the building was ravaged by a fire about six months ago, but the mural remained unharmed. And with the Super Bowl in town, Williams made plans to spend his weekend touching up the mural prior to the game.
“I figured at some point they would tear the building down, but it has been sitting up this whole time,” Williams said. “The fact that the Super Bowl happens here and the weekend when the festivities are gearing up, the building gets demolished is very odd.”
But despite this setback, Williams remains undeterred. Not only has he painted another Kaepernick mural on a wall on Peeples Street, but he recently completely another mural commissioned by Nike entitled “Where Dreams are Made,” located in Midtown on the side of the Westside Cultural Arts Center.
