A painting that portrayed policemen as pigs has been permanently removed from the Capitol complex, according to the Washington Examiner.
The office of Rep. Dave Reichert, a Washington Republican, confirmed to the Examiner that the painting had been taken down. Reichert is a former sheriff who had sent an official appeal to the Architect of the Capitol Stephen Ayers, whose office removed the painting Tuesday night.
Fox News reported that Clay now has the painting on display in his Capitol Hill office. He promised to get the Capitol architect's decision reversed.
The painting stirred controversy after four different Republican congressmen took it off the wall where it was displayed, and Democratic Rep. William Lacy Clay rehung it every time, the Examiner reported.
The painting portrayed police officers as pigs who aimed guns at protesters. Reichert said it violated House Office Building Commission rules that bar artwork that contains "contemporary political controversy or a sensationalistic or gruesome nature."
A black Missouri teen contributed the painting, and was one of hundreds of winners of the Congressional Art Competition, the Examiner reported.
Caucus chairman Louisiana Democrat Rep. Cedric Richmond said in a statement, "Unfortunately, politics has yet again trumped common sense. Rather than engage in a thoughtful dialogue about what would motivate an 18-year-old to express himself in this way, Congressional leaders have chosen to exercise their power to suppress a child's free expression."
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