It was one of the most visited and talked about murals in Chicago and, arguably, the world.
Today, the popular tourist attraction of the celebrated and controversial image of Dayvon Daquan Bennett, known to many as the late rapper King Von, has been removed from Parkway Gardens Supermarket in Woodlawn. Vandalized before its demise, the grocery store’s owners several weeks ago painted over the nine-foot mural of King Von, which gained global interest and renewed concerns about gang violence in the Parkway Gardens apartments across the street, known to many as O Block. The mural is just steps away from the Chicago Crusader office.
Created in 2021 by artist Chris Devins, the mural depicted King Von sitting backward in a chair with a big smile on his face. In his signature style, the mural showed King Von wearing a baseball cap backward with a thick O Block chain around his neck.
Like King Von, the mural created a stir in the neighborhood. It drew many admirers who idolized the late King Von and his drill music, a subgenre of hip hop. Busloads of tourists would stop by to take selfies in front of it. Photos of tourists and residents of all backgrounds posing in front of the mural are all over the internet.
Now, in a story about art imitating life—King Von’s, the mural of the former Parkway Gardens resident is gone but not forgotten by many admirers. Some on social media questioned why the mural was taken down, and The Express Tribune in Pakistan reported that a new mural of King Von had emerged in Chicago, but its exact location remains unknown.
But like many affiliated, the mural was hated by some Woodlawn residents, some of whom fought to have the mural removed out of concerns that it contributed to crime in a neighborhood that’s already infested with problems. There were also some concerns the mural stirred tensions between gang members in the neighborhood. A Chicago police cruiser would often sit in the middle of Dr. Martin Luther King Drive to patrol the area.
On social media, one commenter said, “Long live King Von!” while another asked, “We making murals of criminals now? MLK would be crying seeing this sh–t.”
On X, one commenter said, “Michelle Obama from O Block and I ain’t never seen a mural of her up, why we only celebrate the worst people in the community.”
On Saturday, November 23, a historian, Dilla Thomas’ Mahogany Tour bus, sat across the street from the store. By then, the mural had been removed and someone threw fresh Black paint on the space. Days earlier, someone wrote in red spray paint RIPPED DeKALA near the same spot. The message references the murder of De’Kayla Dansberry, an honor student at Johnson College Prep who was stabbed in the upper chest during a fight with another girl in front of Parkway Gardens in 2016.
The Crusader spoke to the owners of the store, who said they did not remove the mural because of recent vandalism where a message in red spray paint covered the mural after the arrest of rapper Lil Durk. Store owners said they removed the mural because it became a target for criminals, who would rob tourists as they took pictures in front of the image. Store owners said they were under increasing pressure by police to remove the mural as crime increased. They told the Crusaders that there were no plans to erect another King Von mural.
Alderman Jeanette Taylor (20th) confirmed what Parkway Gardens Supermarket told the Crusader.
“People were walking up with young people and pulling out guns, and a tour bus came by and got access to Parkway Gardens, and some things happened.”
Taylor also said, “This decision [to remove the mural] was up to the business owner. He had some pressure from CPD, but he had my support.
“I hope he does what’s important to him. He put that mural up because King Von had an important relationship with him and Parkway Gardens. He came in to support the business.”
Taylor said Chicago police asked Parkway Gardens Supermarket to hire more security and install more surveillance cameras, which would have been costly for the small store.
“I thought that he and CPD were going in that direction but ultimately he decided to take it down,” Taylor said.
The Crusader is researching police reports for such incidents. In 2022, a shooting reportedly occurred near the mural during a birthday celebration for King Von, leading local police to suggest relocating the artwork for safety.
Sources told the Crusader store owners had an agreement with King Von’s family to keep the mural up. Sources also said the store owners received numerous threats since the mural was created in 2021.
In 2023, Edward Morris, pastor of Parkway Gardens Christian Church, which is next to Parkway Gardens, told the Sun-Times that the mural is “a great advertisement for gang activity.”
Born in Chicago, King Von grew up in Parkway Gardens. Affiliated with the Black Disciples gang in the area, King Von is credited with helping give birth to drill, a subgenre of hip hop music that was founded on Chicago’s South Side. Drill includes confrontation lyrics gang members use to settle the beef. In 2020, King Von died after he was shot multiple times outside a club in Atlanta. He was 26. King Von remains popular today with his posthumous album ‘What It Means to Be King.’
Reports said King Von had an altercation with rapper Quando Rondo. Lil Durk, whose name is Durk Devontay Banks, is a close associate of King Von and faces charges of “murder-for-hire” for the 2022 attempt on Rondo’s life. Days after Lil Durk’s arrest in October, the King Von mural was vandalized with red paint.
