‘Hate’ Painting Prompts Online Feedback, Forum

A racially charged painting at Atlanta’s City Hall East has ignited a discussion on the Internet page of a nonprofit organization that says the interests of white people are being ignored.

Decatur artist Alvaro Alvillar said his painting, “Formula for Hate,” has generated lots more conversation than he ever intended. It consists of 33 U.S. flags and two sentences with no punctuation: “Politically its OK to hate the white man” and “Is it OK for me to hate if Ive been a victim”.

More than 30 responses posted about the artwork on the Web page of American Renaissance News romp across the spectrum of America’s racial conversation. The monthly magazine is published by New Century Foundation of Oakton, Va., which reports on its federal tax filing that, “all American racial and ethnic groups except whites have organizations that advance their interests- most often at the expense of whites.”

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“I never thought it would be about the artist. I never thought my name and the word ‘racist’ would be used in the same sentence. I never thought my name would appear on an Aryan rights page,” [said Alvillar].

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“Gee that borders on being pro-white, cant [sic] believe it was allowed to hang,” wrote one blogger who didn’t leave a name.

Others were not as kind. Another anonymous poster said the artist is like all “feral, crumb-begging curs” and thanked Atlanta for providing “yet another banal, White-hating [sic] quack.”

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The one outburst occurred as Atlanta police Detective Ken Allen, representing the police union, was saying some union members object to Alvillar’s painting being displayed in a hallway that leads to police headquarters. Two union members filed formal complaints last week with the city, contending the painting creates a hostile work environment.

At one point Allen told the crowd that he, as an interrogation specialist, could tell they disagreed with the position he was representing. In response, several started talking at once.

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