- The Gallery X Art Collective in Murray, Kentucky, is now offering to cover up
tattoos of hate symbols for free. - The
tattoo parlor started offering free cover-ups more than a week ago, as thousands of people took to the streets to protest against police brutality and racial injustice. - Tattoo artists Jeremiah Swift and Ryun King told CNN they've had more than 30 people sign up for removal appointments, and had customers ask them to remove Nazi symbols and a
Confederate flag .
A Kentucky tattoo parlor is offering to cover up racist art and hate symbols that people have inked on to their bodies for free.
Jeremiah Swift and Ryun King at the Gallery X Art Collective in Murray, Kentucky, started advertising free cover-ups on Facebook in early June. The shop is also offering to cover up gang-related tattoos.
"Having anything hate-related is completely unacceptable," King told CNN. "A lot of people when they were younger just didn't know any better and were left with mistakes on their bodies. We just want to make sure everybody has a chance to change."
The tattoo parlor has received more than 30 requests for cover-ups and is hoping people use the opportunity to become better people.
"We also got a guy with a giant swastika who said he has never taken his shirt off in front of his kids," King told CNN. "I like seeing that. I like seeing people want to change themselves for the better. That swells me full of emotions."
Swift told KFVS that he and King were inspired to offer free tattoo cover-ups amid nationwide protests calling for the end of police brutality and racial injustice.
"I just wanted to help out in some way. It's the only platform I have," Swift said. "We're basically just covering any hate or gang-related imagery or wording."
One customer, Jennifer Tucker, stopped in to get a Confederate flag covered up. She told KFVS that she got the tattoo when she was 18 to rebel against her family.
Gallery X Art Collective covered the tattoo with Pickle Rick from the cartoon "Rick and Morty," a cartoon that she loves.
"My daughter said, 'I'm really proud, mom, that you're taking that off of you," Tucker told KFVS. "I want it gone. I want solidarity. I'm a part of a group in Paducah and we go and peacefully protest."
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