Protestors Promise to Guard Banksy Work in Westwood

The infamous artist's work has been popping up in LA

His work has popped up all over the world, and once again, the guerrilla artist known as Banksy has made his mark on Los Angeles.

The mysterious graffiti artist's latest creations include a drunken Mickey and Minnie Mouse and a fire-starting Charlie Brown on Sunset Boulevard, and the "Crayola Shooter," as it's been dubbed, in Westwood.

The billboard that features a not-so-flattering depiction of the Disney darlings has already been removed, as has the image of Charlie Brown smoking a cigarette and holding a gasoline can, which was painted on the side of a burned-out building.

"Crayola Shooter," which lies on the side of an Urban Outfitters in Westwood, depicts a small child firing crayons out of a machine gun. The clothing outlet wants to paint over the piece, calling it "vandalism." Local organizers, however, want to make sure that doesn't happen.

"The building owners see it just as a piece of graffiti," said Neville Lee, a protest organizer. "I feel like they really don't know who did this, or what it means to people who really appreciate art."

The English renegade's work sells for hundreds of thousands of dollars -- unofficially, of course, since the artist's true identity is not known. Despite his film "Exit Through the Gift Shop" being nominated for the Oscar for Best Documentary in this year's Academy Awards, people close to the film say the artist won't show up.

And with the big show being just over a week away, these new pieces may prove to be no more than a just publicity stunt.

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Banksy fans disagree, saying his art is politically loaded and symbolic.

"There are so many political messages he's putting out there," said Fahmida Shahid, who is protesting the removal of Crayola Shooter. "It's beautiful. Things people don't have the courage to do -- he's doing."

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