San Jose officials have been boasting of late how the city is again considered the safest big city in the country. That’s likely true unless you’re a piece of artwork.

Last weekend, four small, colorful alebrijes figures by artist Fernando Escartiz were swiped from the exterior wall above the entrance to the San Jose Jazz Break Room on the corner of First and San Carlos streets in downtown San Jose. Surveillance video on the Break Room entrance Friday night shows someone on a bicycle stopping, going out of frame and then getting back on the bike with at least one of the figures.

The remaining three figures — made mostly of wood, papier mache and foam, have since been removed from the building, which is a smart move but also a heartbreaking one. The alebrijes were a fond and festive remin

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