The mural of Jam Master Jay in Brixton Village has been removed and destroyed.
The tribute to the member of Run-DMC, who died in 2002, had been on the shutter of No.92, opposite Etta’s Seafood, for years but disappeared two weeks ago.
Market traders said bits of it were found in one of the bins outside.
Many said they were extremely sad to see it go as it was “an integral part of the market and community.”
Stephen Toni-Allen, who works in the market, said: “its really sad its not there. It was a work of art and part of the market’s heritage.”
“People loved taking pictures of it. The shutter was old and might have needed replacing but I would have saved the mural if we’d been told about it.”
It is not clear why it was taken down or if it was the wish of the shop owners. We have contacted the market manager and await comment.
Update: the market manager told the Brixton Blog that its tenant had complained that they were unable to use the shutter properly: “it would become stuck at times and would need two people to pull it up or down, which was a health and safety issue.”
“Once the shutter was deemed unusable and left the unit unsecured, as the landlord, management had an obligation to repair/replace the shutter to secure the shop for this licence holder.”
“We tried to repair it but it was not possible.”
