City Clerk Susana Mendoza unveiled a city vehicle sticker with a simple design Tuesday as she sought to move beyond the controversy that erupted when she yanked a teen's winning sticker artwork amid concerns it might contain street gang symbols.
The new version, done in-house, sticks with the theme of honoring Chicago police, firefighters and paramedics that was the focus of the annual sticker competition the 15-year-old boy won this year.
The teen's sticker contained depictions of upraised hands some law enforcement experts said may have been designed to imitate the hand signs of a notorious Chicago gang. The replacement sticker features crests of the Chicago Police Department and the Chicago Fire Department and the symbol for paramedics. The slogan “Honoring Chicago's Heroes” appears at the bottom.
And this hilarious bit:
While trying to focus on the new sticker features, however, Mendoza kept getting questions about the earlier controversy.
Mendoza said she presented the original winner with a $1,000 savings bond to match what he would have received for having his drawing used on stickers. The clerk said she has reached out to the boy and his family to talk with them further, but they have not responded.