Petition starts to replace Frank Rizzo mural with Gritty

SOUTH PHILADELPHIA (WTXF) - Gritty is on his way to becoming a Philly icon so much so that there's a movement to give Gritty his own mural.

"I'd vote for Gritty a hundred times." Mark Macyk is like the hundreds of thousands who love them some Gritty but could the brand new Philadelphia Flyers mascot replace another Philly icon in the Italian market--former Mayor Frank Rizzo?

The iconic mural of Rizzo on 9th and Montrose in the Italian Market honors Philly's first Italian American mayor but he comes with plenty of controversy with many who say his policing policies were racist.

"Gritty's never done any kind of things wrong. I would vote for him any chance I got," Macyk said.

Last year, the Rizzo mural was even vandalized but now a change.org petition says Gritty would bring a kind of unity Rizzo never did. There's more than a thousand signatures so far.

But not everyone thinks the lovable, wide-eyed and slightly clumsy mascot will be the right fit--no matter the grit.

"Culturally speaking the Italians kind of made that market into what it is and I think it's disrespectful," one resident said.

Shelby and Katherine just moved here from Texas and are still taking in the Gritty concept all together.

"It comes for a love of hockey I guess. Brings the community together in an artistic expression."