Gallery Owner Attacked for Iraq Abuse Art in SF

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/prisoner_abuse_painting


Lori Haigh, a North Beach district gallery owner, bears a painful reminder of the nation's unresolved anguish over the incidents at Abu Ghraib - a black eye delivered by an unknown assailant who apparently objected to the painting that depicts US soldiers torturing Iraqi prisoners, San Francisco, Calif., May 29, 2004. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)


The assault outside the Capobianco gallery in the city's North Beach district Thursday night was the worst in a string of verbal and physical attacks directed at Lori Haigh since the artwork was installed at her gallery on May 16.

San Francisco police are investigating and have stepped up patrols around the gallery. But Haigh decided to close the gallery indefinitely, citing concern for the safety of her two children, ages 14 and 4, who often accompanied her to work

(snip)

Two days after the painting went up in a front window, someone threw eggs and dumped trash on the doorstep. Haigh said she did not think to connect it to the events at Baghdad's notorious prison until people started leaving nasty messages and threats on her business answering machine.

"I think you need to get your gallery out of this neighborhood before you get hurt," one caller said.

She removed the painting from the window, but the gallery's troubles received news coverage and the criticism continued. The answering machine recorded new calls from people accusing her of being a coward for moving the artwork.

Last weekend, Haigh said a man walked into the gallery, pretended to scrutinize the painting for a moment, then marched up to her desk and spat in her face.

On Thursday, someone knocked on the door of the gallery, then punched Haigh in the face when she stepped outside.

what can one say? Torture is ok now. Assaulting a fellow citizen of conscience is ok now. Our country is a little sick at the moment.

that it was in the most liberal city in this nation.