ZANESVILLE, Ohio — Objectively, there is such a thing as a bad tattoo.
- Red Rose Tattoo is covering up hate tattoos for free
- They got the idea after the deadly protests in Charlottesville
- The owner received the Governor’s Humanitarian Award
“Someone got drunk and got a @#%$ tattooed on their face. That’s pretty bad,” said Brittany, a tattoo customer.
Brittany is going for much less offensive art —an octopus on her leg.
It’s her 11th tattoo at Red Rose Tattoo in Zanesville — where calves are canvasses and sleeves are stories.
Red Rose Tattoo Owner Billy White doesn’t judge people on what they choose to have etched in indelibly.
“As cliché as it sounds, you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover,” said White.
But sometimes tattoo choices do come with judgement, and who you were when you got inked doesn’t represent who you’ve become.
That’s why the shop offers a second chance of sorts —free cover-up tattoos to hide symbols of hate.
“I think, a lot of times, by getting the symbol off of you, kind of frees you from those chains,” said White.
The Red Rose team got the idea after the deadly protests in Charlottesville.
Billy says it hit especially close to home, since the man who plowed into a group of protestors and killing one, was from Ohio.
“We kind all came in to work the next day and were all kinda bummed and sad about the state of the world,” said Jenn, a tattoo artist at Red Rose Tattoo.
Feeling helpless, they decided to do their part to move the needle.
In the years since #EraseTheHate started, they’ve covered hundreds of hateful tattoos, free of charge.
“I met a lady who tried to remove a Hitler portrait with sulfuric acid on her skin,” said White.
The program is a fresh start for those desperate for change.
“When you talk about people who leave groups like the Aryan Brotherhood, if you don’t get your tattoos covered up and you go back to prison, well, they’ll cut them off of you,” said White.
Now, White says they cover up about two tattoos a week. They also do their part to stop people from getting them.
“People have asked for White Pride tattoos, which I am absolutely not down with,” said Jenn.
Their mission is spreading across Ohio, earning White a Humanitarian Award from the governor.
Their hope is that it will spread across the world.
“It’s just a long process. It’s a lifelong process of transformation. You didn’t just wake up one day and have these kinds of beliefs or ideologies. You’ve worked into it. It’s going to take some time to work out of it,” said White.
But for now, White is offering redemption, one tattoo at a time.
