Community leaders fighting to preserve East Austin's history

Community members held a meeting Monday night to discuss ways to preserve East Austin's art history.

Community leaders discussed ways to do that. The groups Six Square and Meeting of the Mindz organized the talk.

The meeting was called "Erasure" and featured several panelists, including Austin muralist Chris Rodgers.

In the wake of Rodger's mural being painted over, and other artwork around East Austin being threatened, members of the community saw fit to have a talk about what's happening and how to preserve the neighborhood's history.

"It seems that not only are we being gentrified and displaced and moved away but at the same time it seems that our legacy is being rewritten or it's being rebuilt or built over, and narrated by someone else to a certain extent," said Keyheira Keys, attendee.

“Mama Sana,” a painting on 12th and Chicon was also recently painted over.

The mural "Mama Sana" was painted over after a community vote and discussion with 12th St. District Merchants. The artist, Mila Sketch, did speak to the original artist before painting her mural over it. Some in the community were not originally aware that she took those steps.  This was discussed and clarified in Monday night's meeting at Six Square's East Austin location.