INSTANT KARMA – Defaced John Lennon mural in PB already being replaced

On Aug. 7, a vandal spray-painted obscene graffiti over the iconic John Lennon mural at 1020 Garnet Ave. in Pacific Beach. The popular mural, painted in 2006, based on a famous photograph of the musician, was damaged beyond repair.

Haseeb Akbarzada, the owner of the business where it happened, 365 Reloaded Smoke Shop on Garnet near Cass, decided to paint over the entire wall with the intent of reviving the mural. 

Now, that’s happening, as muralist Jon Hamrick (@Just_Jon1), from Pacific Beach, has started painting a new John Lennon mural.  

There has been a public outcry in the aftermath of the destruction of the original artwork. “The members of beautifulPB are deeply saddened by the defacing of this beloved mural,” said Ryan Stock, beautifulPB’s new president. “We believe that fostering vibrant, shared spaces — where people of all backgrounds come together, living life in peace — is key to preventing such acts. As great urbanist Jane Jacobs wisely said, ‘Eyes on the street’ are vital to the health and safety of our community.”

“This crime was not reported to San Diego Police Department by a victim,” said police Lt. Daniel Meyer adding, “We looked into it last week.”

“It’s been getting tagged for two years,” said Haseeb Akbarzada, owner of the vandalized business, who previously owned another smoke shop down the street. He added, “We didn’t have any problem like this before.”

The Pacific Beach building with the Lennon mural on the side, previously owned by the Five Guys restaurant chain, had been vacant for several years before Akbarzada took the space over in February. “The mural was tagged even before I opened the shop,” noted Akbarzada adding, “I bought expensive paint and I painted over the wall and saved the [Lennon mural]. But I was tired of doing it because it was costing me time, labor, and money.”

After the mural was completely defaced overnight at about 2 a.m. on Aug. 7, Akbarzada said he “Looked for an artist so we could fill the whole wall with different (Lennon) murals so people don’t tag it.”

As to the reason why the mural was vandalized, Akbarzada said, “I think some people were paying some guys to do this because my (front) windows got tagged – and smashed – before.”

Akbarzada said the Lennon mural was “really a mess” after the final massive tagging, and could no longer be fixed. “I saved it, and I hired a local artist, paying $3,000 out of my pocket (to replace it) just for the neighborhood, just for the community,” Akbarzada said adding, “I’d like to fill up the whole wall, but I can’t afford it.”

The smoke shop owner also has video footage of two unidentified juveniles who twice previously smashed his storefront windows with hammers before running away. “My first week after opening, all my windows got smashed and tagged,” Akbarzada said. “The first time it cost me $8,000 and the second time it cost me $19,000 to fix. And they didn’t come for a robbery. They just broke in, then ran.”

He added, “They (vandals) came prepared with gloves and masks and hammers.”

Akbarzada, an Afghan native, noted his building’s wall had previously been tagged with “Free Palestine.” He pointed out he is completely apolitical noting, “I want to live my life, work for my family, that’s all. The world has had problems for thousands of years.”

The shopkeeper believes the tagging and vandalizing are about business, not politics. He added he has received text messages suggesting “someone paid people to break my windows.”

Akbarzada believes the vandals who attacked his business are “underage kids not organized criminals,” He lamented, “They’ll do anything for money. It’s not like some outsiders are coming trying to do something against me, my nationality, or my religion.

“I had to,” said Akbarzada when asked about replacing the Lennon mural. He added he also might be open to doing a GoFundMe to help defray the expense of repainting the Lennon mural on the side of the building.

Is there a message the storekeeper would like to relate in the aftermath of this tragic incident? “Just let people live,” he said. “These teenagers, this new generation, are different. They don’t care. They don’t have respect.”

The mural of Lennon with a flower in his eye was a replica of an iconic portrait by late photographer Robert Whitaker of Lennon done in Weybridge, England circa 1965. It was titled “Admiration.” Lennon reportedly had a taste for the bizarre and surreal in the visual arts and the presentation of his image. Whitaker, who died in 2011, claimed this was one of his favorite images. He acknowledged the inspiration as being a meditation on Narcissus and a remembered quote from Euripides referring to flowers in people’s eyes.