Plans For 'Waukesha Strong' Downtown Mural To Remember Parade Victims

WAUKESHA, WI — City officials are reviewing plans hatched by local artists for a colorful mural outside a downtown Waukesha business to commemorate victims of the parade attack.

Officials sampled two different flavors of the mural — one in blue and red and another in blue and black — at a Public Art Committee meeting on Tuesday. The mural features the words "Waukesha Strong," surrounded by an assortment of cardinals, flowers and butterflies.

The colorful wall is meant to create a "domino effect" that affects the city in a positive way, artist Brandon Fox said in a fundraiser page. It would honor the victims of the Waukesha parade tragedy, where a man was accused of driving his SUV through a crowd of people downtown during the November 2021 Christmas parade.

The project would be a "daily reminder" of the downtown tragedy, said Sandra Peters, who witnessed the attack with her grandchildren. "I highly doubt it would be enjoyed by any of us who were at the parade," she added, speaking at the meeting.

"We want to acknowledge all of the people who have been hurt either directly or indirectly by creating this beautiful installation for the community to see and enjoy while also remembering those who we lost," Fox said. The artists hope to have the mural ready by May 7 for the Waukesha Art Crawl.

Officials will see the final rendering of the mural in the next committee meeting in May, city associate planner Robin Grams told Patch. If the committee approves the mural, it would go before the Plan Commission next.

If the mural is approved by the city, it would be painted on the side of the Salty Toad near Riverfront Street and Friedman Drive facing the alley, city plans showed.