Columbia state lawmaker and attorney wants mural removed from Boone County Courthouse

A Columbia state lawmaker who’s also an attorney is calling on Boone County Commissioners to remove the Sid Larson mural from the Courthouse, which is downtown.

State Rep. David Tyson Smith (D-Columbia) issued his call on Twitter, saying the mural represents an ugly past that should be in the Historical Society and not the courthouse.

Representative Smith Smith joins former Boone County Judge Gary Oxenhandler and attorney Rusty Antel in calling for the mural’s removal.

The “Columbia Missourian” reports the murals show a white man pointing a gun at a Native-American man, shirtless African-American men chained by their ankles and white men being hanged and whipped.

Boone County Commissioners have asked for public input on the issue.