California Congressman Duncan Hunter has taken matters into his own hands, removing a painting he found offensive from the halls of the U.S. Capitol himself, according to reports.
The artwork, which depicted police officers as pigs, was on display in public outside Missouri Congressman Lacy Clay’s office after it won the annual Congressional Art Contest, according to USA Today.
A high school student in his district painted the work, which was hung in late December and immediately inspired outcry.
“I think it’s offensive to the men and women who protect our country,” Hunter told the paper. “I was in the Marine Corps. The U.S. Capitol is not the right place,” for that type of imagery, he said.
Hunter reportedly simply took the painting off the wall, and delivered it to Clay’s office. Clay’s office voicemail was full when the Observer called to request a comment.
Hunter also seemed to hint to Fox News that he was willing to, Enforcer-style, remove other offending artworks, if need be. “If you want it done, just call us,” he told the news outlet, reiterating his military affiliation.
Clay’s 1st congressional district includes St. Louis, which has seen a rise in gun violence recently. Website The Trace, which tracks national gun crime statistics, ranked the city #1 in per capita shootings in 2016, with 660 incidents per 100,000 people.
The St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, Missouri, was also the site of violent clashes between protesting citizens and police after the fatal shooting of 18-year-old African American man Michael Brown by a white police officer, in August 2014, and again following a grand jury decision not to indict the officer three months later.
