Of all the murals in the Bishop Arts neighborhood of Dallas, there’s only one that brings a tear to the eye of Valerie Zamarripa.
"It's not just some crazy random graffiti put up, it's something beautiful," said Zamarripa.
The mural which sits beside Last Call Lounge on the corner of Madison Avenue and Centre Street, honors her son, Patrick Zamarripa, and four other officers killed in the 2016 Dallas police shooting.
"Of course it brought me to tears, because it's remembering what I had to do in burying my son," she said.
But now the City of Dallas has issued an order to take down the mural.
Contractors were out on Monday taking it down panel by panel.
The city of Dallas issued the following statement to NBC 5:
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"On March 5, 2018, the City filed a lawsuit regarding the property at 305 Centre Street as the result of ongoing violations at the property. The owners previously received a citation and notice of violation from the Department of Code Compliance on or about May 26, 2017, but failed to remedy the violations. The fence was photographed by Code Compliance staff at that time. Staff revisited the location in June 2017, and documented the fence without the mural. The mural was believed to have been painted on or about July 2017, after the notice had been issued. The fence is illegal and constructed in such a way that it can conceal illegal activity. The mural painted on this illegal fence depicts a painful moment in Dallas’ history that should never be forgotten and pays tribute to our fallen heroes. However, the illegal fence poses a real and undisputed public safety issue for the surrounding neighborhood that cannot be ignored. The lawsuit also addresses other violations on the property that have not been remedied, such as the number of required parking spaces and unpermitted building construction."
The owners at Last Call Lounge told NBC 5 once all of the panels are taken down, they will be given to Deputy Chief Albert Martinez with the Southwest Division of the Dallas Police Department.
On Monday night, the Dallas Police Department released the following statement to NBC 5 concerning the mural:
"Chief Martinez is trying to help the business owner find someone who would like to have it and preserve it. He will not directly be taking possession of the mural. We appreciate you putting this story out there, so hopefully we can find someone who would like to keep the mural."
Zamarripa hopes they will be displayed somewhere else.
"Anywhere that it can be viewed and still show the honor and respect for my son and the officers who lost their life," she said.
