Recently, the much-appreciated and often visited street art murals curated under the umbrella of The Bushwick Collective were vandalized by a self-identified Bushwick resident and native in the name of combating gentrification. The expected uproar and sorrow followed, not simply by the artists who created the defiled works, but also by the restaurants, bars, businesses residents and tourists who cherished them.

At Bushwick Daily we have often praised and documented the beautiful works curated by The Bushwick Collective’s founder, Joe Ficalora. Joe who was also born and raised in Bushwick, has lived through his share of dark days of the neighborhood. In 1991 when Joe was only 12 years old, his father was murdered in the streets of Bushwick. He was knifed for his wallet and a worthless chain around. Joe was then dependent on a small neighborhood community that raised him.

When his mother died of brain tumor in 2011, Joe took all his grief and transformed it into a something remarkable. Haunted by sad memories at every corner, he googled “street art” and invited street artists to come and paint. He used the walls of buildings he owned, and later made use of his connections in the neighborhood to obtain permissions of other building owners. The rules were simple: nothing offensive to children, women or the local businesses, and no politics. No one is paid for the work. The artists donate their own supplies and time, and the building owners donate their wall space, The New York Times wrote.