Veterans Alley founder upset graffiti cleanup crew painted over his art

SAN FRANCISCO - On this Memorial Day, some veterans are taking on a battle to protect a mural project in San Francisco that tells their stories. 

Amos Gregory, the founder of Veterans Alley, said some of the art work was painted over by graffiti cleanup crews without any warning.

Now, he's fighting back. 

He said hundreds of veterans worked on the murals over the years.

"This is Veterans Alley. This is a community project. We've been painting here for years," said Gregory, a U.S. Navy veteran.  It is located in the Tenderloin neighborhood.  It's a place where artists who've served in the U.S.  military can find their voice by painting murals on buildings that line Shannon Street, between Geary and O'Farrell.

"It's not just paint on the wall. This is a process. It's someone's life story. It's someone's plight," said Gregory.

The mural project initially displayed the art work of homeless vets.  It was started in 2011.  Gregory says it has grown to 30 murals.

"To put something so profound in such a public fashion is an act of liberation, freedom," said Gregory.  

But in recent weeks, four murals were painted over by the Union Square Business Improvement District. It said crews did it to remove graffiti as part of its services to businesses to comply with city ordinance.

"We have spoken with the owners several times since this incident. They expressed to us at that time they do not want a mural on the back of their building. They didn't want one before and they don't want one now," said Karin Flood, executive director of the Union Square Business Improvement District. 

"Accuse us of being vandals is just disheartening," said Gregory and that he does have the permission of the building owners.

The four murals that were painted over included one done by Ricky Chapman, a U.S. Air Force veteran.

"They didn't talk to us. They didn't let us know in advance. It'd been up for 8 years or better. All of a sudden one day, it's gone. It was kind of shocking," said Chapman.   

His mural was a tribute to Captain David Hrdlicka, a pilot shot down over Laos in 1965 who was taken as a prisoner of war there during the Vietnam War and was never found. 

"I guess I was really depressed. I was let down," said Chapman.

"I'm terribly sorry. I wish I had seen it ahead of time and know where they were, and been able to reach out to them. Maybe we could have resolved it differently," said Flood.   

"Our desire right now is to protect this community project and protect this community from future harm," said Gregory.  

He said he has not be able to get the Union Square Business Improvement District to come to the table to talk about what happened.

The veteran has filed a lawsuit against the district to seek unspecified damages, but he said one of the murals alone was appraised at $17,000.