A mural of Dolly Parton located outside The 5 Spot in East Nashville has been defaced by an unknown individual.
The mural, painted by local artist Kim Radford
, sits on he left wall of the venue and is something of an East Nashville staple. Known for its vibrancy and pop art-style depiction of Parton, the mural is a celebration of not only Parton, but also of Nashville and East Nashville's music scene.The mural also included a quote from Parton in support of Black Lives Matter from a 2020 Billboard interview, "Of course Black Lives Matter. Do you think our little white a**es are the only ones that matter?”
Hours after the incident, The 5 Spot posted on social media alerting the public of the crime.
"9:52 a.m. on a Monday. Help us find this jerk
Thanks to our neighbor @hipzippernashville for the camera footage," the venue wrote.
"Nobody f***s with Dolly, or any art by @kimradfordartist."
What footage did The 5 Spot obtain?
In the post, The 5 Spot shared video surveillance footage taken by Hip Zipper Nashville, a neighboring clothing store. The security footage shows the suspect and the act of vandalism.
Wearing a black Doobie Brothers cut off t-shirt and with his long black haired in a ponytail, the suspect stands in front of Hip Zipper, the side of The 5 Spot, holding a can of black plaint in his hand. The man also appears to have a tattoo on his left upper arm.
After fiddling with the can's cap for a moment, he walks over to the mural and splashes black paint right onto the center of the Dolly Parton mural with his left hand. He then returns to the front of the Hip Zipper, grabs his backpack and what appears to be a white can of paint, and walks away.
Besides the Hip Zipper's security footage, two black cats also appear to have witnessed the crime and can be seen in the video.
5 Spot and Dolly Parton supporters flock to the comments section
In the comments section of The 5 Spot's post, 61 social media users had something to say about the crime and the assailant.
"Hurt people hurt art," one user wrote.
"Someone in Nashville is long overdue for their karma to come a-calling," another added.
At this time, neither The 5 Spot nor Hip Zipper know the identity of the vandal.
Peter Burditt covers trending news and service journalism for The Tennessean. Contact him at PBurditt@nashvill.gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Dolly Parton mural defaced in East Nashville; video captures vandal
