Erasing Tragedy.

If you've ever braved their godawful parking lot and made it inside the Trader Joe's in Silver Lake, you would have noticed a mural on the wall near the registers. The mural featured former manager Mely Corado, who was negligently shot and killed by the LAPD in 2018.

In the mural, Mely is surrounded by sunflowers, with the Hyperion Bridge and a tie-dye billboard that said "Silver Lake Always" in the background.

She waved with a smile at every person who left the store.

She was killed during a shootout between the LAPD and Evin Atkins, who had taken police on a 9-mile pursuit before crashing his car outside of the store. He was a suspect in the shooting of his grandmother and 17-year-old girlfriend before he fled from police.

During the shootout, Officers Sinlen Tse and Sarah Winans fired at Atkins as he fled into the store, putting everyone inside at risk.

Mely was trying to keep people safe inside when a bullet fired by Officer Tse hit and killed her.

In 2021, the Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón found that Officer Tse and Wilkins were justified in their use of force.

The city recently settled for $9.5 million with the Corado family. A sum that doesn't bring Mely back. Not that any amount ever could.

Albert Corado, Mely's brother, has spent the past 7 years demanding justice for his sister's death. He says the store's decision to remove her mural broke his heart.

"We are less than a month away from the 7th anniversary of losing Mely to LAPD negligence, and to be blindsided with this is not only disrespectful to Mely and those who loved her, but to the community of Silver Lake as a whole."

It isn't just the mural that was covered up.

A new billboard recently replaced the faded sunflowers, her favorite, that had hung above the parking lot for seven years.

It's now covered by a sign that reads, "Thank You Very Much," and on the other side, "We Like You Too."

It's unclear who approved the decision to paint over the mural or put up a billboard. Trader Joe's did not respond or comment in time for the story.

However, in a statement to 404 by the LA Times about the billboard change, the company said the new ones were put up to have a "conversation" with the community and the "We Like You Very Much" billboard that recently appeared down the road on Sunset Boulevard.

Neither the company nor 404's Instagram Reel acknowledged that the previous billboard was in memory of Mely Corado.

Mely Forever

Mely's memory inside the store now sits behind wooden panels. Her face was either painted over or covered, piece by piece, by cheap panel wood. Someone had to look into her eyes and see her smile before she disappeared behind the paint or panelling. Someone had to decide that Mely's life was no longer worth honoring.

No cover-up can hide what happened. Nor can it hide who she was and what she meant to her family, friends, and coworkers.

"That mural was a testament to Mely's life and a reminder that at any moment, our loved ones can be taken from us. It was a reminder to keep those you love close because they might not always be here."

As they say, Mely Forever.