Lee Harvey Oswald mural in Dallas raises eyebrows

Members Only, a barbershop in Dallas' Bishop Arts neighborhood, is getting some extra attention this week after installing a mural on the side of the shop depicting alleged JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald. Members Only, a barbershop in Dallas' Bishop Arts neighborhood, is getting some extra attention this week after installing a mural on the side of the shop depicting alleged JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald. Photo: Glasstire / Twitter Photo: Glasstire / Twitter Image 1 of / 66 Caption Close Lee Harvey Oswald mural in Dallas raises eyebrows 1 / 66 Back to Gallery

Members Only, a barbershop in Dallas' Bishop Arts neighborhood, is getting some extra attention this week after installing a mural on the side of the shop depicting alleged John F. Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald.

As most people know, the city of Dallas is still a bit leery about JFK assassination imagery, especially the kind that showcases the alleged killer of the president and a Dallas police officer. Nearly 53 years later some wounds are still raw.

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According to WFAA-TV the mural went up last last week and it depicts Oswald, who lived in the Oak Cliff area, in his DPD mugshot.

The quote "forgive your enemies but never forget their names," which is sometimes attributed to the slain president, is due to be added to the mural.

The owner of the shop at West 7th Street and North Madison Avenue in Dallas is Christian Avanti. He says that the mural wasn't meant to anger locals. After all, Oswald is a part of the area's history.

"Oswald is part of Oak Cliff history. That is the only reason we did it. We didn't do it to offend anyone or anything like that," Avanti told the city's NBC affiliate.

There is a long-running bar in Dallas' Cedars neighborhood called Lee Harvey's that doesn't seem to bother anyone. Some in the area have embraced its history with all its flaws.

The artist, Theo Ponchaveli, also did a few other pieces around the city in 2013 to honor the 50th anniversary of the assassination.

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"The artist had already done a large JFK mural on the Southside on Lamar, so we didn't want to repeat that," Avanti told the outlet. "We're not trying to take sides and the mural isn't done yet."

Meanwhile, a JFK historian told the outlet that the thought of Oswald's face being used in this way is morbid.

"Why would someone think that is hip and cool," Rookstool asked. "It also seems like a poor rendering, a bit cartoon like. For someone to paint in large format someone who killed the president, injured the governor and killed a police officer comes off as twisted and macabre."