Just beyond the lettering, a white painted wicker stool provides a seat for spectators to pause for a moment. Alongside the stool, a sign painted to look like a section from a brick wall reads in white lettering: "A man who uses force is afraid of reasoning."]]>
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The location in which George Floyd was murdered by the Minneapolis Police Department has since been transformed into a memorial. The zone, regarded as "George Floyd Square," is filled with memorial tributes to Floyd. Residents from the neighborhood maintain that the streets remain barricaded off in order to protect the area from traffic.]]>
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Two small square stickers are also stuck to the sign: one with red lettering on a blue background that reads "Fuck Trump"; one with white lettering on a black background that reads "Dump Trump"]]>
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"Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out of me" (Luke 8:46)
"Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?" (John 8:46)
"I CAN'T BREATHE... MAMA" (George 8:46)]]>

The third sentence is a fragment of George Floyd's last words, alongside the approximate amount of time it took for him to die after Minneapolis Police Department officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for roughly nine minutes.]]>
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The ‘All Black Lives Matter Street Mural’ was organized by Luckie Alexander in Los Angeles, California on Hollywood Boulevard. Luckie Alexander is a trans man who advocates for bringing about change to the LGBTQ+ community (CHIPTS). He is committed to giving back to the community by spreading awareness and educating others (CHIPTS).  

Alexander managed to get hundreds of volunteers to help create this mural on June 13, 2020 (Do, 2020). The mural shows the words “All Black Lives Matter” in bold writing. Each word also contains colors representing nonbinary, transgender, and queer pride flags, along with others (Do, 2020). The mural was painted before the All Black Lives Matter march. This march was in place to show support for the Black community and transgender people of color (Do, 2020). Tens of thousands of protesters showed up for this march, making it one of the largest protests the area had ever seen (O’Kane, 2020).  

After the march, a clean-up crew went by in an attempt to remove the mural with power washing equipment. As the crew began to remove the mural, they were met with protesters who did not want the mural removed (Do, 2020). Crew members were able to remove three letters before a member of the city council instructed them to stop (O’Kane, 2020). The protest to keep the mural on this street helped create a partnership with different council members, activists, and other groups to make sure the mural remains permanent. There is significance to this mural's location on Hollywood Boulevard, because it was also where the first recognized gay pride parade was held (Do, 2020).  

Other similar murals were also painted on the streets of important and well-trafficked roads across the country. Some of these roads include “Black Lives Matter” written on a street in front of the White House, which is now permanently named Black Lives Matter Plaza (O’Krane, 2020). There were also many other Black Lives Matter murals painted on buildings across Los Angeles. Those murals include images of George Floyd and phrases like “Protect Black Women” and “United We Stand Up” (Pineda, 2020). These murals are all large and painted across whole buildings in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. 

Researched by Nicole Thomas

Sources

Do, A. (2020, August 26). Coming soon to Hollywood Boulevard: 'all black lives matter' art will be permanent. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-08-26/hollywood-blm-art-permanent  

O'Kane, C. (2020, August 26). "All black lives matter" mural will become permanent on Hollywood Boulevard. CBS News. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/black-lives-matter-hollywood-boulevard-mural/  

Pineda, D. (2020, August 12). Across L.A., black lives matter murals appear like billboards for Justice. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-08-12/black-lives-matter-murals-los-angeles  


Image URL

News Coverage by Deadline

Tweet by Mitch O'Farrell on June 15, 2020.

Instagram post by Bethany Barton on June 13, 2020.]]>
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Photographer: AFP via Getty Images]]>
Black Lives Matter Street Mural Census]]>
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