Atlanta coffee shop facing backlash after mistakenly painting over mural of beloved community member Jovita Moore

Moore, who died months after being diagnosed with brain cancer in 2021, was a staple in the Atlanta community as an anchor for WSB-TV and more.

An Atlanta business is finding itself in hot water with locals after painting over a tribute to late news reporter Jovita Moore.

Bellwood Coffee revealed that after purchasing a building in Grant Park, they painted over a mural dedicated to the beloved WSB-TV anchor, who died in 2021. The company took to Instagram to explain what happened with the mural and the steps they’re taking to correct it.

“If you’re not caught up, we leased a building in Grant Park, and painted over a mural of Jovita Moore,” the statement began. If you’re wanting to know why, we could give you a few practical reasons, none of which have anything to do with Jovita or her ATL legacy.”

It continued, “The truth is, the reasons aren’t good enough. We made a mistake and acted without enough consideration, and that is not reflective of the kind of people we want to be. For the 7 years that we have had this business, our heart has always been to build community in our city, yet this decision is driving us apart from many in our dear Atlanta community.”

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Moore, who had worked at WSB-TV since 1998, was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, in April 2021. She passed away in October 2021, barely seven months after her diagnosis.

The revelation that Bellhouse painted over her mural sent shockwaves through the community, sparking anger amid growing calls that Bellhouse was gentrifying the area.

“If you grew up in Atlanta/ been around a while you knew who Jovita Moore was and you know how the city responded when she died,” one X user wrote. “This coffee shop just moved into my neighborhood and painted over a mural dedicated to her for their signage and honestly it’s not sitting well w/ me.”

Bellhouse responded to the individual on April 30, stating they “truly had no idea how much this specific mural meant to the community of Atlanta” and suggested that the mural be painted over as the “windows in our buildout cut into the mural significantly.” The reasoning wasn’t enough to calm residents, so the statement was updated.

It is unclear when the new mural will be completed, but Bellwood heard loud and clear that certain things, even in a world that constantly changes, are to be considered permanent.