Landlord cedes to local anger, will not remove Biggie mural

Through the power of the internet, Biggie gets to stay.

Samuel Berkowitz, the Bed-Stuy landlord who’s building has hosted one of Brooklyn’s better Biggie murals since 2015, has decided to let the two-story art remain now that he realizes the community’s love for Biggie, DNAinfo reported.

The mural’s artists told DNA of Berkowitz’s change of heart: “To be honest, he just didn’t know how important Biggie is to Brooklyn. He’s not a bad guy.”

A change.org petition to “Save the Biggie mural by making it a landmark” has over 3,000 signatures. The Brooklyn Nets also chimed in, posting a pic of the mural to their Insta yesterday with a caption stating they, “are stepping in and working with @spreadartnyc and other NYC leaders to help see that it stays.”

Today marks what would have been the late Notorious B.I.G.'s 45th birthday. The iconic mural of Christopher Wallace (at Bedford Avenue and Quincy Street in Brooklyn) is at risk of being taken down, but we are stepping in and working with @spreadartnyc and other NYC leaders to help see that it stays. Spread love. It's the Brooklyn way. #HappyBirthdayBiggie

A post shared by Brooklyn Nets (@brooklynnets) on May 21, 2017 at 11:01am PDT

According to an Instagram post by community art organization Spread Art NYC, the landlord of the building on Bedford Ave. and Quincy St. wanted $1,250/month to host the mural and not poke windows through it to increase rent, a fee the artists couldn’t pay.

So, a happy ending. The people speak, the landlord caves, Biggie stays. If only the formula of journalist reports sad story + people protest via internet = change is effected, were applicable to all such sad news.

[H/t: DNAinfo]