Manny Castro, the L.A.-based artist who claimed responsibility for the graffiti spray-painted on the side of a Torrance, California Chick-fil-A last week, has not been arrested for what he did despite his coming forward, and offers a statement to the Huffington Post about why he did it:
My statement painted on the side of the Chik-Fil-A in Torrance was not born out of hate. It was born out of frustration. It was meant to further a discussion about tolerance and acceptance. My Facebook wall was simply not large enough to do this. Contrary to popular belief, I am a proud Christian and I wholly subscribe to the verse: “Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone.”
I didn’t use violence. I used paint. Artists for centuries have expressed their opinions through this medium and I am no different. The word “FAG” spray painted on anything has never garnered the media attention that my cow with a paintbrush did. And that’s unfortunate.
Castro says he’ll gladly pay for the cost of repainting the wall but won’t sit at the back of the bus.
