A City of Trenton world-class athlete who graced magazine covers, sports shows, and created national headlines, finds her image in an unexpected place — on the outer wall of the New Jersey State Prison. Athing Mu, a Black track star who delivered pride to this capital city by winning national and world championships, plus, two gold medals in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, appears on a mural commissioned by Mercer County. Mu, 22, a Trenton Central High School graduate, one of the city’s most accomplished athletes, is pictured on a prison wall panel on Cass Street. A new mural in Trenton on the outside wall of New Jersey State Prison. (L.A. Parker/The Trentonian)A new mural in Trenton on the outside wall of New Jersey State Prison. (L.A. Parker/The Trentonian)A new mural in Trenton on the outside wall of New Jersey State Prison. (L.A. Parker/The Trentonian)A new mural in Trenton on the outside wall of New Jersey State Prison. (L.A. Parker/The Trentonian)A new mural in Trenton on the outside wall of New Jersey State Prison. (L.A. Parker/The Trentonian)A new mural in Trenton on the outside wall of New Jersey State Prison. (L.A. Parker/The Trentonian)A new mural in Trenton on the outside wall of New Jersey State Prison. (L.A. Parker/The Trentonian)A new mural in Trenton on the outside wall of New Jersey State Prison. (L.A. Parker/The Trentonian)Show Caption1 of 8A new mural in Trenton on the outside wall of New Jersey State Prison. (L.A. Parker/The Trentonian)Expand “You have got to be kidding. This is mind-boggling,” King Alfonso Jennings, who mentored Mu after she joined his Trenton Track Club as a six-year-old. “Considering all the accomplishments achieved by this young woman, one would have hoped that her image or a mural showed up somewhere other than the State Prison, someplace like the State House, city schools, or on a wall or two throughout Trenton. Athing has no connection to the prison, so, there’s no real reason for her to be on that wall. This is embarrassing. There’s just no way anyone should accept this.” In April, Mercer County and the Mercer County Division of Culture & Heritage selected Artworks, the Trenton-based visual arts center, to design and install a public mural. The mural featured a “Breaking Barriers” designation and included a $150,000 budget that compensated seven artists — Jonathan “LANK” Conner, Leon Rainbow, Jose “Busta” Bustamente, Dean “Ras” Innocenzi, Dave “Mek” Klama, Alia Bensliman, and April Cooper — for their input and creations. Mercer County Executive Dan Benson offered this statement when asked about putting the Mu image on a prison wall. “The mural Breaking Barriers was commissioned to celebrate the rich history and vibrant culture of our Capital City. Trenton’s Artworks has done a great job, through a diverse team of local artists, to illustrate their passion and love for their hometown. Art is always open to interpretation, but so far we have received positive feedback from the neighborhood,” a statement read. The mural includes Mu and several other presentations that connect to each letter of T-R-E-N-T-O-N, including the state bird American Goldfinch, a Golden Retriever believed to be Chase (That Golden Thunder), a former bat retrieving dog for disbanded Double AA city-based Trenton Thunder baseball team, and numerous black and brown individuals. The project originated in the administration of former Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes whose office issued a call for submissions for the Mercer County Cass Street Prison Mural Project (MCCSPMP) that would install a mural on the outside 319-foot (w) X 19-foot (h) wall of the New Jersey State Prison. The request for presentation noted the South Ward history of being a multicultural entryway for diverse groups of people. Finalists selected by the Committee were required to submit a full proposal for the project. Those accepted were expected to incorporate, in some way, the following key words/phrases into their final design: vibrant & welcoming; inclusive & aspirational; iconic & eye-catching; embracing community. Dave “Poppy” Sanderson, an athletic trainer at Trenton Central High School for almost 50 years, expressed dismay. “For real,” Sanderson said in disbelief. “With all the other places for a mural in this city to honor Athing, they chose the prison.”