Houston police are investigating the Instagram user believed to have organized the restoration of the city’s iconic “Be Someone” mural after it was defaced in April.
HOUSTON — The “Be Someone” mural painted on an I-45 bridge near downtown Houston more than a decade ago has become a beloved icon.
It even inspired a documentary, a National Be Someone Day, and a petition to have it declared an official landmark.
Editor’s note: The above video originally aired in June.
The artist behind the original mural, painted in 2012, told KHOU 11 that the simple message is credited with motivating drivers to make life changes.
“Like, they just drive by it every day. A nine-to-five job. There are people who have told me they have quit their job and followed their dreams, and they’re doing great,” the artist said.
Over the years, vandals have defaced the message with their own graffiti, much to the chagrin of “Be Someone” fans.
One of them was charged in 2024, but the charge was later dropped.
The most recent case happened in April when the words “MOSCOIN” appeared, an apparent reference to cryptocurrency. The person responsible for that vandalism hasn’t been charged.
A couple of months later, many drivers who passed under the Union Pacific Railroad bridge were happy to see the blue “Be Someone” message restored to its former glory.
An Instagram video posted on Sunday, June 9, showed two people atop the bridge as they painted over the cryptocurrency message. Three teenagers told the Houston Chronicle that drivers honked and even police officers waved while they repainted “Be Someone.”
Now, KHOU 11 has learned that the Houston Police Department and Union Pacific Railroad are investigating the Instagram user who they say organized those efforts to restore the iconic mural. HPD has filed a search warrant with Meta to learn his identity.
According to the search warrant, a special agent who works for Union Pacific saw another Instagram video posted on June 8 on an account he follows. The user thanked a couple of his followers for helping him paint over the cryptocurrency graffiti.
The user’s Instagram account shows photos from inside the Astrodome and several abandoned buildings, including a downtown high-rise, a movie theater and a hospital.