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'It's all about love': Oakland artists pay tribute to George Floyd with murals
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Local artist 'Shawn' paints a mural in memory of for George Floyd, who died in Minneapolis police custody, in downtown Oakland, California, US June 3, 2020. (Reuters/Nathan Frandino)
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everal dozen artists spray-painted murals and slogans on boarded-up businesses in Oakland, California, this week in support of Black Lives Matter and George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was killed by a white policeman.
The artists said they were responding to a call by activists to beautify the city after the store windows were boarded up to protect them as some demonstrations to protest Floyd's death turned violent.
The muralists said they wanted to pay tribute to the memory of Floyd, who was killed last month, and to the Black Lives Matter movement, which raises awareness over police brutality towards black people and other racial minorities.
Read also: Papuan lives matter: George Floyd and colorism in Indonesia
"It's the rampant abuse of power. It's been in our society for far too long and it's undeniable to anyone now. This isn't my fight, but I am here to follow the lead of my brothers and sisters who have been aggrieved for generations," Dustin Young, one of the artists, told Reuters.
"We have a lot of different pieces, but it's all peaceful. It's all unity. It's all just about love," said Aireon Tavarres, one of the organizers, in front of a spray-painted picture of a rainbow-colored star, emblazoned with the words 'No Fear.'
