Manager Decides to Cover Up Risque Mural on Cheeks Bar in Trenton

Management has decided to cover up outside in Trenton.

Cheeks manager Riley Miles said the mural will be painted over as soon as the weather breaks.

Miles has to wait for dry weather, so the new paint on the outside of the building dries properly and can sufficiently and permanently cover the mural.

Miles, who commissioned the mural, said he respects residents' opinions, particularly about what the children of Trenton see outside the bar.

Residents of Trenton began soon after work on it began. Neighbors complained to city officials, including Mayor Gerald Brown, and on that the mural was inappropriate for children.

The public school bus route passes the bar each school day, and some parents were unhappy with trying to explain the mural to their young children.

Brown said Miles could have kept the mural under his First Amendment rights, but the bar manager decided to do the right thing for the community and take the mural down.

The decision to paint over the mural came after Miles met with Brown and Trenton City Administrator Bob Cady.

In a previous interview with Patch, Cady said the city does not have an ordinance restricting signs like the one outside Cheeks. "It may be in bad taste, but it's not illegal," Cady said.

Since the sign was not violating any laws or city ordinances, the decision was Riley's to make.

"We wanted this to be solved and the community to be happy," Riley said. "We don’t want them to drive by and say negative things about the bar."