Heineken apologizes for using Roxbury mural to sell beer
Heineken has apologized for appropriating the “Roxbury Love’’ mural in a series of beer ads which began appearing in Roxbury and Dorchester liquor stores last year.
While the original Warren Street mural, created in 2014 by Deme5 (a.k.a. Richard Gomez) and Thomas “Kwest’’ Burns, features the face of former South African president Nelson Mandela at its center, the Heineken ads co-opted the mural’s color scheme and slogan but swapped out Mandela’s visage for a Heineken bottle.
When Burns first saw the ads, he was surprised that Heineken would appropriate the original design without permission. Because he and Gomez intended the mural to be a beacon of positivity in a community sometimes portrayed negatively, he found Heineken’s use of it to peddle beer appalling.
“It was in poor taste, I felt,’’ Burns said. “It wasn’t on the level of ‘You copied our thing,’ but what they presented and for what purpose.’’
Burns and Gomez contacted friend and local activist Jamarhl Crawford, who determined that the responsible party wasn’t the Heineken corporation but the local distributor, Horizon Beverage. When Horizon was unwilling to remove the ads, Crawford said he spent months discussing the matter with Heineken and its legal team. He described his dealings with Heineken as “pleasant as pie,’’ but noted that the company still failed to take action until media began inquiring.
Crawford says he’d like to see Heineken address the issue with Horizon Beverage and also compensate the artists, either by collaborating with them in the future or monetarily.
“You just hope corporate America does the right thing,’’ said Crawford. “It kind of stinks that it had to get media attention in order to get attention from them, but we’re fine, we’re in a good place.’’
Reached Friday, Heineken spokesman Bjorn Trowery said this in an e-mail: “Simply put, this should not have happened. The displays have been removed, and we are currently engaged with the artists to quickly resolve the matter. As a family company, we truly respect the cultural significance of the art, the artists and the communities in which they were displayed.’’
