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By his own admission, celebrity street art maestro David Choe is a “douche,” something he copped to in 2014 after casually bragging about committing sexual assault on a masseuse in an L.A. massage parlor during an episode of his podcast, DVDASA. The self-appellation of douche came when Choe attempted to walk back the story, which has continued to dog him amid accusations that the incident, and the fact he suffered no consequences for relaying it so insouciantly, represents a normalization of rape culture. So when it was announced that Choe was being commissioned to create a mural for the famed Bowery Wall, the news was greeted with outrage in some quarters.
Now, less than a week after it was completed, Choe’s mural has been defaced. As first reported by Bowery Boogie, the letters BTM have been scrawled across Choe’s work. The tag is the handiwork of graffiti crew Big Time Mafia (a time-lapse video of the deed being done was upload onto Instragram by BTM member Katsu, which you can see below) though it’s unclear whether the act is related in any way to the controversies surrounding Choe.
This isn’t the first time a mural for the Bowery Wall has been vandalized, nor is it, in fact, the first time Choe’s mural has been hit. Last week, just after it was finished, someone spray painted the word “rapist” on part of the wall—which, if nothing else, sends a much clearer message.