Mural outside Bernie’s Wines & Liquors vandalized with spray paint

FARGO (KFGO/KVRR) – Someone spray painted the mural on the south wall of Bernie’s Wines & Liquors on South University Drive over the weekend.

General Manager John Langdahl says it happened Saturday night or Sunday morning.

“Staff came in Sunday morning to open the store like it was any other day and within the first half-hour, we had multiple customers coming in to let us know that the mural had been vandalized,” Langdahl says. “It was great to hear from them because it means they care, but it was just devastating to know that such a beautiful piece of locally-made art had been vandalized.”

The graffiti was of two names and an accusation that someone took advantage of a disabled person. One of the names had already been painted over as of Wednesday morning. Langdahl says they have looked at surveillance video and tried to find information about the people named in the graffiti, but they don’t have any leads.

The mural was painted by local artist Anna Johnson in the summer of 2022.

Langdahl says Johnson was devastated when she found out what happened and came by to look at it. He says she plans to touch up the mural in the next week or two and will apply a sealant to make it easier to fix if anything like this should happen again.

Anyone who has any leads can contact the store, or Fargo police.