Minneapolis lashes taxpayer cash on Pride makeover for bus done by woke artist who painted picture of cop being beaten by Antifa

Published: 23:48, 1 July 2026 | Updated: 23:49, 1 July 2026 The transit agency serving Minneapolis and St. Paul has sparked ire after choosing a controversial artist to create a Pride wrap for its buses. Alexis Politz was selected by Metro Transit to design the wrap, which would cover city buses through the end of the month of June and would be featured in the Twin Cities Pride Parade on June 28, the agency announced early last month.   It said Politz, who uses 'they/them' pronouns, normally works with bands, businesses and organizations on logos, apparel and print materials in its announcement, which appears to have since been deleted from its website but was shared in a screengrab by Alpha News reporter Liz Collin.  Politz also describes themselves on their website as a 'queer freelance illustrator and designer living in Minneapolis who has been creatively working with bands, organizations and small businesses for over 10 years.' The website notes Politz has had clients including Planned Parenthood, the National Parks Conservation Association and Target. But a review of Politz's website also shows they once created artwork depicting a woman holding a police officer in a chokehold while another woman stomps on the cop. That artwork was included under the 'EXERCISE YOUR DEMONS' gallery. Alexis Politz was selected by Metro Transit to design a wrap for its buses to mark Pride month A review of Politz's website shows they once created artwork depicting two women beating a police officer 'EXERCISE YOUR DEMONS is a cheeky nod to the grueling weight of being a femme in a society and how moving my body has helped me handle the anxieties of existing in it,' Politz explains on their website. 'It's about hot, sexy people fighting their demons, being strong and slutty in this patriarchal hellscape of a world and finding ways to exorcise feelings through it all.' After being alerted to the controversial artwork, a spokesperson for Metro Transit told Collin the agency 'will give more consideration to artists' total body of work as part of our selection process moving forward. 'Metro Transit strives to provide a welcoming environment,' the spokesperson said. 'As part of these efforts, we work with a variety of local artists whose work has appeared on vehicles and at shelters. 'We were not aware of the artwork in question, which appears to have been created after the artist was selected,' the spokesperson continued.  'Regardless, Metro Transit does not condone violence of any kind and we will give more consideration to artists' total body of work as part of our selection process moving forward.' It is unclear when the agency chose Politz to design the bus wrap, but their website suggests the EXERCISE YOUR DEMONS gallery appeared in This and That Gallery in Minneapolis from March 7 through March 28. Politz revealed their Pride bus design on social media on June 4.  Politz revealed their Pride bus design on social media on June 4 It features lesbian and gay couples walking through parks and riding their bikes underneath a cloud that reads 'RIDE with PRIDE!' Politz said on Instagram that they were 'beyond grateful to have the opportunity to create this full bus wrap for PRI(DE MON)TH!' 'You can see this bus all around town for the month of June as well as near the front of the Pride parade on June 28th. There are also limited edition Go-To bus cards with the art on it. 'Thank you Missy and @metrotransitmn team for asking me to be a part of this huuuuuge beautiful project,' the artist continued. 'This is definitely one for the books. I still can't believe I got to work on this and now get to finally see it in person. 'It has a bunch of cute people on it, real bus lines and stops and a couple historically gay places like 19 Bar, Loring Park and the beach obviously,' Politz said of their design. 'Now go ride the big gay bus!!! We love transit!!!' Yet on social media, some residents expressed their outrage that their taxpayer dollars were used to fund the project. Residents on social media expressed their outrage that thier taxpayer dollars were being spent on the Pride bus 'As a taxpayer, I am disgusted by this waste of money to propagate this garbage,' one X user wrote, while another suggested 'bus wraps that advertise and generate revenue are the only ones that should be utilized. Otherwise buses can run with their normal paint scheme.' A third hit out at the artist themselves. 'Wow, that's clearly someone who needs to get some help,' the X user wrote. 'They like to talk inclusive, but that's just plain rebellious. 'Hypocrites. Thumbing your nose at the law and society is not art and it's not a good message. Nor is it a good idea.' But Becka Thompson, who identified herself as a former elected official in the city, suggested: 'The moment the grants die down this nonsense ends. 'Unfortunately [there's] still lots of money to launder,' she claimed.  The Daily Mail has reached out to Metro Transit and Politz for comment.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.