RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:
There's a lot of artwork hanging in the halls of the U.S. Capitol Building. Tour groups might stop to look, but mostly the portraits and paintings go relatively unnoticed - except for one. It's a painting by a high school student, and it has launched a back and forth in Congress over free speech, artistic expression and policing. NPR congressional correspondent Susan Davis has more.
SUSAN DAVIS, BYLINE: The art in question hangs in this well-trafficked underground Capitol hallway. It's one of hundreds of works of art on display right now as part of the annual High School Congressional Art Competition. The artist, David Pulphus, is now in college. He was a high school student in Missouri Democrat William Lacy Clay's district that includes the town of Ferguson. Here's Clay on his constituent's painting.
WILLIAM LACY CLAY: It's a collage of different scenes that this kid has experienced over the last five years.
DAVIS: The street scene depicts dozens of black protesters. One is holding a sign that says racism kills. And at the foreground of this collage, two uniformed cops are depicted with animal heads. The painting had been hanging here since June without controversy or incident, but a wave of criticism in recent weeks from conservative media outlets prompted criticism from law enforcement advocates. That prompted one Republican to take matters into his own hands.
CLAY: Congressman Duncan Hunter, who took it upon himself to remove the painting without any authority from the Architect of the Capitol.
DAVIS: Hunter removed the painting from the wall and delivered it back to Clay's office last Friday. Hunter says the painting is offensive, and it violates existing rules governing what's acceptable art in the Capitol complex. He makes no apologies for his actions.
DUNCAN HUNTER: It was something that had to be done.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: It had to be done?
HUNTER: Yeah, yeah. So I just did it.
DAVIS: Clay reported Hunter to Capitol Police. He wants him charged with theft, but says the police declined to pursue it. Clay held a ceremony yesterday to reinstall it. He was joined by members of the Congressional Black Caucus.
CLAY: This is really not about a student art competition anymore. It's about defending the Constitution.
DAVIS: The painting was taken down by Republican lawmakers two additional times on Tuesday. Clay hung it back up each time. Washington Republican Dave Reichert, a former sheriff, is asking the Architect of the Capitol to review the painting and whether it violates any rules. Reichert objects to the art, but he had been trying to find a more peaceful resolution.
DAVE REICHERT: You know, look, I was a cop for 33 years, and that's not how you solve problems.
DAVIS: The painting is scheduled to come down no matter what this summer when the next round of winning high school art goes up for display and maybe debate. Susan Davis, NPR News, the Capitol.