Murals honoring fallen police officers and victims of police violence were recently painted by graffiti and street artists in Manhattan and Bushwick. The tributes — commissioned by the L.I.S.A (Little Italy Street Art) Project — were done by Cassius Fouler and Bishop 203. “We wanted to do something that would make people take a moment to pause, and reflect, and encourage discussion,” said Wayne Rada, founder of the L.I.S.A. Project.
Bushwick (143 Central Avenue)
Bishop 203, artist and owner of Low Brow Artique, painted the names of Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos — the NYPD officers who were gunned down in a brutal daylight ambush in Bed Stuy — on the side of his store/gallery space.
Lower East Side (125 Stanton Street)
Cassius Fouler emblazoned a rolldown gate with the names of Oscar Grant (West Coast), Eric Garner (East Coast), Michael Brown (Midwest) and Reefa (South), all of whom were killed by police. The geographic selection of names highlights how police brutality is a nationwide issue.
For Rada, it was it was important to show deference to both sides. “We wanted to give proper balance,” he said. “To have love for the NYPD and for those young men who were killed by police.”
(Top photos: Aymann Ismail/ANIMALNewYork – Bottom photo: Rey Rosa)
